


Superliked

by Starlight1395



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: 3racha au, College Student Minho, Idol Changbin, M/M, everyone is gay and in love, happy ending of course, idol chan, idol jisung, lowkey angst, past abusive relationships, the rest are normal, tinder au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-17 22:05:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17568770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starlight1395/pseuds/Starlight1395
Summary: Minho decided to play along with the Jisung catfish. After all, the last three catfishes he matched with ended up becoming close friends with him.After a bad fight with his roommate Woojin, one digging up things from the past that neither of them should have brought up, Minho storms out. Despite wanting to be alone, he just happens to run into someone... familiar.Turns out, Jisung was no catfish, and now Minho was in love with a famous rapper. How is he going to talk his way out of this one?





	1. Chapter 1

“Ha! Look at this!” Minho laughed as he superliked the profile. “Someone was pretending to be J. One from 3racha! I love catfish accounts because when we match we end up following each other on twitter.”

“I can’t believe you’re still using that app.” Woojin said with smirk. Minho gave a forced ‘ha ha ha’ and swiped left again.

“Just because I’m single doesn’t mean I can’t have standards.”

“I never said you didn’t have standards. I’m saying you’ve gotten so many people - guys and girls both - asking you on dates that you should be set for the next few years.”

“Yeah but-”

“I know, ‘but they just don’t click right’. Trust me Minnie, I’ve heard it before.” Woojin grinned at his friend as the younger mimicked him.

“Seriously Wooj- he’s out there somewhere! I just… have to find him…” Minho trailed off, looking down.  
Lee Minho might have been the biggest flirt in the world, but he was also the biggest romantic as well, and no one knew that better than his best friend. Woojin’s smile softened and he took Minho’s hand.

“You’ll find him,” He said, giving Minho’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I know you will.”

“You think so?” Minho looked up at Woojin and the elder felt his heart clench at the sight of tears in the younger’s eyes.

“I know so,” he said, making Minho smile a little. “You’re too amazing to not.”

“I guess… Minho looked back down and locked his phone, no longer in the mood to sort through possible soulmates.  
Minho was healing. Woojin was the only reason Minho left his last relationship, which boiled down to a little under half a year of being violently manipulated. The Minho that came out of that relationship was nothing like the Minho that went into it. Woojin tried to help his friend regain his past confidence, but in the year and a half since they broke up, Minho hadn’t actually gone on a single date. He got asked on them daily, but always made some excuse not to go, despite Woojin’s attempts to get him out of the apartment.

“Let’s get some coffee,” Woojin suggested as they passed one of the many chain cafes in the area. “I’m already feeling my last cup start to wear off.”

“You and caffeine have an unhealthy relationship,” Minho said, holding the door open for his friend. “You need water, not more coffee.”

“You can pry my order from my cold, dead hands.” Woojin said playfully as he ordered his usual. He stepped aside so Minho could order and paid for both, as usual. Minho tried to argue it at first, but Woojin was good at persuading others to let him pay for them.

They found an empty table and waited for their names to called. Thankfully it didn’t take too long, though Minho was almost tripped as he carried their drinks back because of some students who were a little to excited.

“You got a new match while you were up.” Woojin said, taking his up and sipping it instantly, as if it wasn’t boiling hot coffee.

“Huh, I wonder who…” Minho stirred his iced tea as he waited for the app to load. He laughed out loud when he saw a familiar face pop up. “Oh my god.”

“Who is it?”

“That Jisung catfish account,” Minho started laughing harder. “Oh my god I can’t believe we matched.”

“You should message them,” Woojin smiled, glad to see his friend happy. “Who knows, maybe it really is him.”

“Pshh yeah right,” Minho scoffed as he started typing. “3racha haven’t been in the area in months so there’s no way his profile - as if his company would even let him have one - would pop up for me.”

 _‘Wow, I never expected to meet someone famous here!’_ he decided to play along. The catfish would call him out sooner rather than later.

“You never know!”

“Yeah, okay. This Jisung is really J. One from the famous group 3racha, and you’re going to remember about your exam on monday without me telling you.”

“Monday? OH SHIT-” Woojin stood and Minho just cackled as he followed his friend out of the cafe.

“Called it.” The younger grinned as he sipped his tea, quite self righteously in Woojin’s humble opinion, as they booked it back to the apartment for the elder to study last minute.

* * *

  
“What are you smiling at?” Woojin asked, looking up from his textbook. It was Sunday, and Minho had been lounging around all day, as if he wasn’t also a student, and didn’t also have exams the next day.

“Just something not-Jisung said,” He giggled down at his phone. Two days later and the catfish was still playing along. In fact, they seemed thrilled that Minho was pretending they really were J. One.

 _‘Most people think I’m a catfish which is why I don’t normally go on this app anymore._ ’ they had said, making Minho laugh a little.

 _‘How could anyone think you’re a catfish?_ ’ he teased.

_‘Right? I used my own pictures and everything. It’s not like you can google these selfies~’_

_‘Must be hard, being a famous rapper.’_

_‘It is, but it’s a lot of fun! Hyungs and I get to tour a lot and see a lot of cool places.’_

_‘You’re adorable.’_

_‘Ya…’_

“Earth to Minho- can you even hear me?” Woojin called over. He was about to throw something heavy at his friend if he didn’t stop smiling at his phone.

“I can hear you just fine! Jeez! What do you want?”

“Don’t you have an exam tomorrow?” Woojin asked, almost angry that his friend was so calm about exams while he was freaking out.

“Yeah, but it’s just that writing class I took as an elective.”

“What kind of exam are they going to give you?”

“I already turned in the first part, but we have to analyze a poem or something and then we can go. It’s going to be easy.” Minho checked his phone, almost feeling upset when there wasn’t a new message. He was having a surprisingly nice conversation with the catfish, and almost felt bad for referring to him as not-Jisung.

“How are you so calm about exams?” Woojin asked, closing his book and leaning back in his chair.

“Because I was smart and picked an arts degree,” Minho rolled onto his stomach and kicked his legs in the air. “You had to go and be all smart and good at things and picked an actual smart-people degree.”

“Engineering isn’t a smart-people degree…” Woojin argued half heartedly.

“I looked at your textbook and honestly Russian makes more sense to me than that bullshit.”

“Excuse you…” Woojin huffed, not knowing how else to defend his choice of major.

“You’re so cute hyung,” Minho tease, moving to poke the elder’s cheek. “How are you still single?”

“Because I don’t have time to date.” Woojin said easily. He was a senior, getting ready to graduate. Minho was only semester behind him, which was Minho’s own fault for not taking enough credits his freshman year. Woojin was scheduled to graduate that spring, and Minho in the summer, after taking a single three credit course.

“You do have time, you just don’t want to.”

“There’s more to life than just dating, you know.”

“Yeah, but dating is fun!”

“Minho-”

“It’s just cuz you don’t like to have fun,” Minho continued to tease his friend, not realizing how tense the elder was. “Maybe if you got out and got laid once in a while you’d be more fun-”

“And what do you know about that, huh?” Woojin snapped, spinning around in his chair. He was clenching his jaw, and if the anger wasn’t being directed at Minho himself, the younger would have commented on how attractive the elder was. “You talk big about dating and sex, but when was the last time you talked to someone other than me, huh? When was the last time you got laid? When was the last time you even got a kiss? You’re just as bad as me, and I swear to god if you make fun of me for being boring or stuck up one more time I’m going to scream.”

“At least I’ve had a relationship to base shit off of!” Minho snapped back. He knew he shouldn’t, but how dare Woojin call him out for that?

“And look at how well that worked out!” Woojin’s face was red and the vein in his neck was standing out. “Look at how much you learned from that relationship! Too bad I never had some asshole abuse me to the point of being afraid of intimacy!”

Minho’s jaw clicked shut. He took a deep breath and nodded once. Woojin instantly knew he had gone too far, but he was so stressed and so anxious about exams that even the slightest push sent him over the edge.

“Minho, I-” Woojin said, all rage draining from him in an instant.

“You should finish studying hyung,” Minho hadn’t sounded that flat since… Woojin had spent a month trying to get his friend to have some color in his voice again after his breakup, and now it was all gone. “I’m just… gonna go for a walk.”

“Minho please-” Woojin tried, but Minho just shot him a sad smile before slipping on his shoes and all but running from the apartment.

The silence made Woojin’s ears ring. He really fucked up, and there was nothing he could do until Minho came home, because he knew the younger would ignore any message he tried sending.

He sat back down heavily and looked at his book. With a final spark of rage, Woojin threw it across the room with a shout. The rage was gone as quickly as it came, leaving him feeling empty and cold.

* * *

  
“Stupid hyung…” Minho muttered, pushing his way into the coffee shop. There really wasn’t much to do in their area other than school. There were a few places to eat, but Minho knew if he tried to eat something he’d throw up. There was the commons, but it was starting to rain, though sitting in the rain would really match his emotions. That left the cafe, where he could sadly sip at some sugary drink until he felt better.

“Minho hyung?”

“Stupid hyung and his stupid knowing everything about me and his stupid exams…” He pouted and sipped his drink, feeling tears sting his eyes again.

“Minho hyung?”

“Stupid, stupid Woojin hyung…”

“You’re Minho, right? Ah this’ll be awkward if I’m wrong…” Finally Minho looked up and almost choked.

“Oh my god…”

“Ah it is you! I remember you said something about coming to this cafe a lot so I wanted to try it out,” Jisung smiled and slipped into the seat across from him. Even with a baseball cap on and the facemask over his mouth, Minho would recognize those eyes anywhere.

“Holy shit…” Minho whispered, all anger gone. “You’re Han Jisung.”

“Yeah! And you’re Minho, from tinder?” He unlooped his facemask from one ear, letting it dangle from the other.

“That’s me!” he squeaked, feeling light headed. He has to be hallucinating.

“It’s crazy that we ran into each other!” Jisung said happily, seemingly unaware that Minho had yet to take a breath. “I wanted to ask if you wanted to meet soon but I kept chickening out…”

“Wait- what?” Minho finally came back to his body and understood that THE Han Jisung was talking to him.

“Yeah, its kinda silly,” Jisung giggled and played with his bangs. “But like, you’re really cute and funny and when I found out you were older than me I panicked… I wanted to ask you to coffee or dinner or something Friday because I don’t normally have free time so I wanted to meet you when I had the chance but… yeah…” He ducked his head and sipped his drink, his round cheeks red.

“You.... you were really Jisung this whole time?” Minho’s voice was high pitched from shock. Jisung blinked at him, confused.

“Yeah?”

“Oh my god… I’ve been calling you not-Jisung to Woojin hyung this entire time… now I’m the idiot…” He stared at his hands in horror, only looking up when he heard laughter, clear and pure.

“You thought I was a catfish, so you called me not-Jisung? Wait, you were talking about me?” Jisung smiled at Minho and Minho thought his head was going to explode.

“I- I mean, yeah? I was just going to play along because a few of the catfishes I’ve ran into ended up becoming good friends, but you were just a lot of fun to talk to and I guess I kinda forgot that you weren’t really supposed to be you? And hyung kept teasing me for smiling at my phone so I told him what we were talking about so he didn’t think I was crazy...”

“I talked so much about 3racha and Chan hyung and Changbin hyung though. How could a catfish have known all that?” Jisung was still laughing.

“I… you know what? I didn’t question it.” Minho finally found his mind and was able to laugh at his own foolishness.

“No wonder you were so okay with teasing me,” Jisung pouted and Minho swore an arrow pierced his chest. “You didn’t think I was me at all…”

“Let me make it up to you?” Minho found himself asking, wanting to make Jisung smile again. “When are you free next? I’ll take you out for dinner.”

“This is actually my only break of the day, but if you wanted to come hang out at the studio… I know it’s not super exciting but it’ll be nice to work with someone to talk to. Normally hyungs are too focused to pay attention to me.” He pouted again and Minho was whipped. Right there and then, Minho fell hard.

“Y-yeah! I don’t have plans for the rest of the day,” He said, a goofy smile on his face. “We could get dinner and eat in the studio? I remember you saying you forget to eat when you’re working…”

“I don’t think I said that in our conversation?” Jisung tilted his head, knowing exactly how to fluster the elder already. Minho’s face flushed red and he gripped his cup hard enough to pop the lid off.

“I- um, you mentioned it in an interview.” he said, trying to keep his voice at a normal octave. Jisung giggled again, covering his mouth with his hand.

“So you really are a fan,” He teased, wiggling his eyebrows at Minho, who wished he could melt into the ground. “Perfect. You already know all about me, which means now I can focus on learning all about you.”

“Cute…” Minho whispered, in awe at how big and bright Jisung’s eyes were. He knew they were, from photos and music videos, but it was a whole separate thing in person. In person, Minho could see each individual sparkle.

“I think you’re cute too hyung.” Jisung giggled again, knowing fully well the elder hadn’t meant to say anything aloud.

“Ah- Um…”

“Come on, let’s go to the studio,” Jisung said, standing and holding out his free hand. “You can tell me why you looked so upset earlier.”

“What? Ah, I’m okay now. There’s nothing to worry about-”

“Humor me? I want to know all about you,” Jisung looked over his shoulder at Minho, who just barely managed a nod. “Perfect! Let’s wait till we get to the recording room, though. No one will bother us there.”


	2. Chapter 2

“I’m sorry if this is boring…” Jisung said for the fifth time that hour. On the contrary, Minho was fascinated. There was so much more to music composition than just plopping down some notes and putting words over it.

“I’m not bored at all,” He assured his new friend. “It’s fun to watch you work.”

“Really?” Jisung looked up from his screen, his eyes wide and slightly glassy from staring at a computer for so long.

“You look really cute when you’re concentrating,” Minho said casually, watching Jisung’s eyes widen even more. “I could watch you all day.”

“Hyung… Jisung blushed and looked away. Minho grinned like the cat that got the cream and Jisung could see his smile from his peripherals, which made him blush even harder.

They had only been there for about two hours, which was nothing according to what Jisung was telling him. He could spend up to twelve or thirteen hours straight working, sometimes longer if he was really into the song he was working on, forgetting to eat until someone reminded him and sleeping four hours a night at most. Even though Minho had just met Jisung, it worried the elder that the idol wasn’t taking care of himself.

“Hyung, you never told me why you were upset earlier.” Jisung said, clicking away at his program. Minho felt his stomach roll.

“Ah, I just got into a fight with my roommate,” he said, checking his phone again. He knew Woojin was probably worried about him, but hasn’t texted him because he knew the younger boy wouldn’t respond. It’s his own fault, really. “Nothing serious.”

“I think it was pretty serious, if you were about to cry.” Jisung’s voice was soft and comforting, and Minho found himself wanting to confide in the boy.

“He… said some things that he shouldn’t have and I overreacted a little. When I go back tonight, it’ll have blown over.”

“What was the fight about?’

“I made a comment about how he never goes out and focuses too much on school. He’s an engineering major, so he has a lot of work to do all the time. I know I shouldn’t have, because I knew he was stressed about exams, but I kept pressing it. He… brought up my last relationship… and I just walked out. It was too much to handle.” Minho said softly, looking away. He felt tears stinging his eyes again so he took a deep breath to calm himself.

“It must have been bad,” Jisung had stopped working and was looking at his hands, resting in his lap. He spun his chair around and took Minho’s hands in his. Minho was momentarily shocked at how small Jisung’s were compared to his. “Hyung… you don’t have to be afraid of relationships anymore. I can protect you, if you want. I know it’ll be… weird, seeing how I’m an idol and stuff but… I really like you hyung! I know we just met, but I haven’t been able to really talk to anyone other than Chan hyung and Changbin hyung. They’re great! Don’t get me wrong, but sometimes it feels like all we talk about recently is work, and the upcoming album. Talking to you, I guess I actually felt my age again. I understand if you don’t want to date because this was really sudden! But… call me selfish, but I want to keep you around. You’re really special hyung. I don’t want you to leave already…”

“Jisungie…” Minho breathed, not expecting a confession. Jisung looked embarrassed and tried to pull his hands away, but Minho held on firmly. “Look, my last relationship… it really fucked me up. Like, this is the first thing you can count as a date that I’ve been on in over a year and a half. I’m still paranoid that I’m going to run into him, and I’m terrified of getting close to people. I’ve been told I’m a whore, and a slut and a tease because I’ll talk and flirt with someone, but when they ask me out I get scared and make some excuse to never talk to them again. What- what I’m saying is… I’m not fixed yet. I’m still really, really broken, but this is the first time I want to see someone again. I want to take you out for dinner and make you smile and watch you work… for the first time in over a year, I want to get to know someone in person. So yeah… maybe dating isn’t a good idea yet, but I do want to spend more time with you.” Minho trailed off, finally letting go of Jisung’s hands.

The younger just stared at him. Minho flinched when a tear ran down the younger’s round cheek.

“Hyung…” he whispered before throwing his arms around Minho’s neck. “You’re so strong. You’re going to be okay. You’re safe now.”

Minho hesitated only a moment before wrapping his arms around Jisung’s waist, letting the younger whisper comforts into his neck. It had been so long since he hugged someone like that - held someone at all. Woojin was cuddly, but he was always the default big spoon. Even his ex had been taller and broader than him. Minho couldn’t remember the last time he held someone smaller in his arms. It made his eyes burn, how well Jisung seemed to fit against his chest.

“Jisung do you want take out- oh…” The door flung open and two figures came bursting in. Jisung tried to spring from Minho’s embrace, but the elder kept a firm hold on his waist, leaving the younger sitting in his lap. Minho smiled at the newcomers as if nothing was amiss and waved with his free hand, the other still firmly on Jisung’s waist.

“You never learn to knock, do you?” Jisung grumbled, flushing bright red and looking away. Minho felt his heart skip a beat at how cute Jisung was when he pouted.

“If you put a sock on the door-” The shorter one began to say when the taller one smacked him on the back of the head.

“Sorry Jisugnie,” Chan said, his own cheeks a little flushed. “I was just excited for dinner, and Binnie suggested take out so-”

“Fuck that sounds amazing.” Jisung groaned and Minho flushed, his eyes widening. How could someone so small and cute make such a lewd sound?

“Your… friend is more than welcome to eat with us.” Chan continued, smiling politely at Minho, who blushed harder.

“This is Minho hyung,” Jisung said, tapping the elder’s thigh twice. Minho finally let go of his waist and let the younger stand. “I ran into him at the cafe he mentioned liking and invited him back to hang out.”

“THE Minho?” Changbin asked, grinning wickedly. “Well, well, well… our Jisungie has some good taste after all.”

“I showed you his profile! You knew he was going to be hot.” Jisung countered, crossing his arms. Jisung thought he was hot?

“Yeah, but we kinda thought it was a catfish,” Chan admitted sheepishly. Minho choked on his spit before bursting into laughter. “What’s so funny?”

“I thought Jisung was a catfish,” he said through his laughter. Jisung turned to him and started chuckling as well. “Talk about poetic irony.”

“Well, tell Jisung what you want and he can text it to Chan hyung so he can order.” Changbin said, eyeing Minho suspiciously.

“Will do.” Minho gave the shorter boy his most charming smile.

“We’ll leave to you… whatever you were doing.” Chan said with a wink as he dragged Changbin from the doorway. The door slammed shut, leaving Minho and Jisung in silence once again.

“Sorry about that,” Jisung scratched his head awkwardly. Minho though he was adorable when he was embarrassed. “It’s been so long since any of us needed any privacy that I guess they forgot what knocking was.”

“It’s okay,” Minho grinned. “It was worth it to see you blush. You’re so cute, you know that right?”

“C-cute…” Jisung spluttered, cupping his cheeks in his palms.

“Absolutely adorable. I could eat you right up.” Minho tried to hold back a snicker as Jisung patted his cheeks gently.

“Why don’t you then?” Jisung asked quietly. Minho blinked at him, not quite sure he heard correctly.

“What?”

“You said you could eat me up,” Jisung was looking at his desk, cheeks still covered. “Why don’t you do it?”

“Move your hands and close your eyes.” Minho said, sounding serious. Jisung jumped a little and nodded. He let his hands fall back to his lap and closed his eyes. As Minho leaned in close, he could see his eyes fluttering under the lids, and how long Jisung’s eyelashes really were.

He leaned in and placed a soft, almost not there kiss to Jisung’s cheek. The second he pulled back, Jisung’s eyes sprung open and he held his cheek, as if to keep the kiss on his skin even after Minho was gone.

“Cheesy…” Jisung muttered, but Minho could see how much his eyes were shining.

“Let’s order food,” He said, as if his brain wasn’t short circuiting at that exact moment. “What do you recommend?”

* * *

  
“So, Minho… tell us about yourself.” Changbin said after their food had mostly been finished. They were sitting in one of the practice rooms at their company’s building because the recording studios were too small for four young men to comfortable spread out.

“Well, I’m a senior in college, though I messed up and am one credit behind in graduating so I have to take a summer course to catch up,” Minho said, trying not to blush as he felt Jisung lean into his side. “I’m a dance major, with a minor in poetry. I don’t know how I’ll ever use a poetry minor, but I thought the courses were fun so I stuck with it. I live with my friend, who wasn’t stupid and is actually graduating on time.”

“What summer course are you taking?” Jisung asked, moving closer to Minho.

“Ah, it’s a biology lecture,” Minho chuckled, shifting his weight so he could feel Jisung’s warmth a little better. “I’ve always thought biology was interesting, but I haven’t taken one in a while so I figured this was a good chance to catch up.”

“So wait, you’re a year older than me?” Changbin said, frowning slightly.

“Yeah.” Minho grinned at the boy’s scowl.

“That’s right, Binnie’s boyfriend is the same age as Jisung, so he’s used to being the hyung around here.” Chan teased, picking at what was left of Bin’s noodles.

“I have younger friends too,” Minho laughed, remembering the last time he hung out with Hyunjin, Seungmin and Jeongin. “Ironically enough, I met them through their catfish accounts and we got talking. We used to get lunch once a week, but with school and stuff we haven’t been able to in a while.”

“Is that why you matched with Jisungie?”

“Yeah, actually,” Minho laughed. “I was hoping we’d become friends too, but it looks like things turned out better than expected.”

“What do you mean ‘better than expected’?” Changbin asked, sounding suspicious. Minho flushed as Jisung placed a hand over his.

“Um, well… I-”

“Stop interrogating him hyung,” Jisung complained, pouting again. “You’re so mean. This is why no one wants to be my friend. You always scare them off.”

“Ya! That’s a lie-”

“Don’t worry Sunggie,” Minho said softly, just loud enough for Jisung to hear. “I won’t be scared off by some pipsqueak. You’re stuck with me.”

“He is a pipsqueak, isn’t he?” Jisung giggled, his head almost resting on Minho’s shoulder.

“You’re not much better, pipsqueak.” Minho teased, nosing Jisung’s cheek playfully.

“Hey! I don’t like this one anymore,” Jisung cried, trying to tug away from Minho, who wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him in place. “He’s being mean to me.”

“Let’s keep him.” Chan stage whispered to Bin. The two were watching their maknae try half heartedly to pull away from the grinning stranger.

“I don’t know hyung… what if he hurts Sunggie?” Bin asked, watching the two with narrowed eyes.

“I don’t think he will,” Chan smiled softly. “I think there’s more to him than we know. I’ve been watching him, and he always hesitates when Jisung tried to lean on him or hold his hand. If anything, maybe they’re good for each other.”

“I didn’t notice that.”

“And that’s why I’m the leader.” Chan bumped his shoulder into Bin’s, who just grumbled and snatched what was left of his dinner from the older boy.

* * *

 

“You don’t have to walk me home.” Minho protested as Chan opened the door for him.

“It’s the least I can do,” Chan said with a smile. “Jisung passed out so Binnie’s taking him back to the dorm, and Sunggie would be very upset if something happened to you.”

“You think?” Minho smiled and blushed. Jisung would be upset if something happened to him? The only people Minho could really think of that would be upset if he disappeared were Woojin and maybe Hyunjin and the others. He hadn’t had contact with his parents in years, and he wasn’t close to anyone in his classes.

“You know, Jisung’s been working with us since he was really young,” Chan said as he walked next to Minho. “He came to the company when he was…. Fourteen? Fifteen? It all kinda blurs together now. He’s always been an outgoing kid, but he grew up - became an adult - in the public eye. Always had people wanting to get close to him because he was famous and talented, wanted him to promote their music or have them be in our tracks. The same happened to me and Binnie, but we knew better. Jisunggie just wanted friends, so he kept falling for their tricks over and over again. Eventually, he stopped trying to befriend anyone. He really closed in on himself. When he downloaded a dating app of all things, we were more than a little nervous, but he said he just wanted to chat with people. Besides, he said everyone would assume he was a catfish anyway, so no one would try to take advantage of him. You were the first person he ever really connected with, outside of me and Bin and Lix. You’re definitely the first person he’s brought into the studio, that’s for sure.”

“I had no idea…” Minho felt sick. Not that Jisung trusted him that much - that part made his heart swirl - but finding out how often the boy had been used like that. No wonder he seemed to hesitant at first…

“It’s good to see him opening up,” Chan continued with a smile. “Now, I don’t really know anything about you, but you don’t seem like the type to take advantage of people.”

“I would never,” Minho answered instantly, his ex’s face swimming behind his eyes. “I would never put someone through that.”

“I think you’re going to be good for him. He’s needed something to… push him out of his shell. He’s so confident on stage but I worry about him sometimes. He think we can’t hear him at night, but we do. We try to comfort him, but we think he doesn’t want to bother us. He probably thinks we’re too busy or stressed for him to talk to us, and that breaks my heart because I’ve watched him grow up. He’s like a little brother to me and I’d do anything for him to be happy.”

“I’ll take care of him,” Minho said, completely serious. He stopped walking and looked Chan square in the eye. “I promise that I’ll take care of him. He won’t get hurt when he’s around me.”

“You know, you can’t really promise that,” Despite his words, where was a smile still tugging at Chan’s lips. “You don’t know how you can accidentally hurt the people you love without even realizing it… but I appreciate your fire. How about this, we can work together to protect him from as much pain as we can?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.” Minho blushed and Chan put his hand out. Minho took it, and was almost surprised to feel how rough and calloused the older boy’s palm was.

“Glad to have you on the team Minnie.” Chan grinned, his dimples on display for the world to see.

“Glad you accept me-”

“Minho? Oh thank god I was so worried-”

“Hyung?” Minho turned and saw Woojin running towards him. The larger boy wrapped Minho in a tight hug, buying his face in Minho’s neck. “H-hey, hyung it’s okay.”

“I’m so fucking sorry Minho,” Woojin pulled back and Minho could see he had been crying not too long ago. “I can’t believe I said those things to you. No matter how angry or stressed you are, there are certain lines you just don’t cross and I… I crossed that line and I’m so sorry… then you didn’t come home, and didn’t answer my calls. I was so scared something bad had happened.”

He didn’t have to explain what he meant by something bad. Even if he never said it aloud, they both knew Woojin was terrified Minho would happen to run into his ex when the elder wasn’t there to protect his friend and that Minho would end up even more hurt.

“I’m fine hyung, Minho said, hugging his friend back. “I shouldn’t have riled you up. It was my fault. I knew how stressed you were, and I just wanted to make you laugh a little…”

“God, never disappear like that again. I thought-”

“I’m okay hyung. I promise. I’ll make sure to tell you if I’m going to be out late, okay?” Minho pulled back and smiled at Woojin. “I’m okay. Chan hyung walked me back.”  
Woojin turned to look, not realizing there was another person standing there in his rush to make sure Minho was okay.

“Ah thanks for helping him- Chris?” He stopped, staring at the other boy, who looked just as shocked.

“Woojin?”

“You… know each other?” Minho looked between the two, who were frozen and staring at each other as if they had seen the other rise from the dead.

“We used to go to school together.” Chan muttered, eyes turning glassy.

“A long time ago.” Woojin added, looking away.

“Um…”

“I should be getting back,” Chan said before anyone could move. “You’re welcome at the studio at any time Minho, I mean it. It was… good seeing you again Woojin.”

“Good seeing you too…” Woojin sounded far away. Chan offered the younger one last wave before turning on his heel and all but sprinting away. Minho turned to Woojin, who was pale - like he had just seen a ghost.

“We have stuff to talk about.” Minho said softly, tugging Woojin in the direction of their apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting way to soft writing all this cute stuff guys... my cold, broken heart can only handle so much fluff. That's why I write sad things all the time!
> 
> In all seriousness, I'm really loving this fic! I wasn't sure how it would turn out, seeing how it was a short idea, but I'm really excited that it seems to want to be longer. I've mentioned before that when I write, I have as rough outline, but the story tends to write itself as I go, which means they can change drastically from what I originally planned. It makes everything more interesting because half the time I don't even know where the chapter is going to go when I sit down to write it!


	3. Chapter 3

“Hyung, why did you look so scared when you saw Chan hyung?” Minho asked carefully. They had gotten back to the apartment and showered, meeting in the living room as they normally did when they needed to talk about something. Woojin closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“We went to school together,” He said after a moment. “We were… best friends, to say the least. We were inseparable, to the point where teachers would tell me things to tell Chris, and the other way around.”

“Did something happen? You didn’t look happy to see him.”

“Chris had always been a hard worker. He would bring his guitar over and compose songs while I did homework. He always talked about moving and getting signed and becoming famous for his songs. One day, he said he had gotten an audition. Sure, I was happy for him, but at the same time it made me realize he- he was going to leave. He obviously couldn’t stay in our small town if he was going to be a trainee. I guess realizing that he was going to leave made me realize other things about myself. I asked my mom what I should do if the person I liked was going to leave. She told me to make a big gesture to tell her my feelings before she left,” He grinned, but it was more of a grimace than anything. There was no happiness in his face. “I started making a big sign, to tell Chris that I loved him before he left… when my parents found out it wasn’t a girl I loved they weren’t happy. They.... screamed at me, blamed Chris and his family. Said they never should have let me befriend some foreigner.”

“How could they?” Minho was furious that anyone could say those things about either of his hyungs.

“They decided what was best was for me to transfer to another school, one where wouldn’t be distracted and I could focus on my work. I still, to this day, don’t understand why they were so willing to- to move our entire lives just to keep me from loving Chris. We moved hours away, pulling me from school and packing everything up almost overnight. Chris and his mom were at the audition that entire weekend, so they didn’t know… the last time I saw Chris, he was running up to my door, sobbing because they had rejected him. God I- I wanted to comfort him so badly but I couldn’t. My parents were watching. They would have… I honestly don’t want to think what they would have done if I tried hugging him. I pushed him away. I didn’t look back even though I could hear him hit the ground. He sobbed and tried chasing after our car… I never thought I’d see him again, after all this time. I’ve heard you talk about 3racha and Chan but I never really paid much attention. Rap isn’t really my style, so I never realized-”

“It’s okay hyung,” Minho hugged Woojin, who cried into his shoulder. Strong, dependable Woojin was sobbing into his shoulder. Minho never thought he’d see the day. “I’m sure if you explain everything…”

“It’s not okay though,” Wooijn whimpered. “I- I should have stood up for him. I could have argued. I could have stayed by his side, but I was afraid of what my parents were going to do. I always dreamed of getting into this school and getting my degree and doing amazing things, and the only reason I’m here right now is because they’re paying my tuition. I never would be able to make it a single semester here without them.”

“You went your own ways to follow your dreams,” Minho said soothingly, rubbing Woojin’s back. “I saw his face hyung. He looked shocked but also... hopeful, too. I think he was happy to see you again.”

“I doubt that. I left without saying anything and never talked to him again. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hated me now.”

“If- if he wanted to meet up, would you go?” Minho pressed, hoping to get Woojin to see reason.

“I… I don’t know,” He answered honestly. “Part of me wants to say yes but…”

“You’re scared of hurting him again.” A lot about Woojin was staring to make sense. Why the elder never dated - never showed any interest in anything but school. Why he seemed almost wary of Minho when he came out, but how quickly he accepted him after.

“He’s so beautiful Minho,” Woojin whispered, gripping the front of the younger’s shirt tightly. “God… all this time and he’s even more beautiful than before. He’s… filled out. He used to be so- so scrawny.”

“Tell me more about Chan hyung, please?” Minho prompted, hoping to get Woojin to open up about his feelings a little more.

“He had the same dumb nose and goofy grin,” Woojin sniffled, more tears falling from his eyes. “And he was always so- so excited. Excited to just be alive. He was always so happy to do things. When we had to do volunteering for school, he was the first to sign up. When he helped our neighbor with her garden, he was always grinning and humming. He always somehow managed to see things on the bright side. I guess… that’s the first reason I fell in love with him. How could I not? He would glow with joy all the time…”

Woojin talked and talked, sometimes smiling and laughing as he retold stories of their childhood, other times his face would crumple and Minho would let him cry into his shoulder. By the time Woojin was sleeping in the younger’s arms, it was almost two in the morning. Woojin’s breathing wheezed a little from the crying, his eyes red rimmed and his cheeks blotchy.

Minho managed to get Woojin into bed and set an alarm for himself. They both had exams that day, and after the emotionally draining night he just had, Woojin was going to need a good breakfast.

* * *

  
“You’re up?” Woojin asked, sleepily stumbling into the kitchen. Minho’s exam wasn’t until noon, and he was notorious for rolling out of bed fifteen minutes before class started.

“I wanted to make you food before your exams,” Minho smiled. It was almost seven, and Woojin’s first exam was at nine thirty. “I left some pain killers on the counter. I figured your head would be pouding when you woke up. Go shower and hopefully everything will be ready when you get out.”

“Minho…” Woojin trailed off before gliding across the kitchen and wrapping his friend in a tight hug. “What did I ever do to deserve a friend like you?”

“You just had to be you,” Minho kissed the top of Woojin’s head before gently swatting him with the backside of his spatula. “Now out of my kitchen! I have work to do!”  
Woojin laughed and untangled his arms before going to get his clothes and disappeared into the bathroom the two shared. Minho had been spoiled at first, never having to share a bathroom growing up, but he quickly learned that Woojin was the best person to have to share with. He was neat and cleaned up any mess he made - plus he remembered to get more toilet paper when Minho inevitably forgot.

Minho hummed a tune as he finished breakfast, setting it on a plate as soon as Woojin came back into the kitchen. His damp hair hung in his face, his cheeks flushed from the hot water.

“What are your plans for the day?” Woojin asked as he dug in.

“I was going to visit Jisung after my exam,” Minho said, putting the pan in the sink to soak. “He was telling me about how hard they work yesterday and it kinda worried me. He said it was normal for him to forget to eat for hours and hours.”

“If you’re going to bring him food, bring him something homemade,” Woojin suggested, feeling his own chest warm at how happy Minho looked. “I bet he’d love something you made for him.”

“Isn’t that cheesy though?” Minho asked, scrunching his nose as he already planned out a meal in his head.

“If he likes you, he’s going to adore cheesy things.”

“Ya! I make you breakfast and this is the thanks I get?”

“Maybe some of those sweet rolls you like so much?” Woojin smiled at the thoughtful look on Minho’s face. The younger was quiet for a moment.

“You think so?” he asked, glancing at the cabinets.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Hmm…”

“I’m going to head over early and see if there’s anyone I can study with last minute,” Woojin stood and put his plate in the sink. “Thanks for everything Minho, I mean it.”

He walked over and placed a soft kiss on Minho’s forehead.

“Of course hyung, you deserve to be treated right.” Minho smiled brightly.

“Should I be expecting you home tonight?” Woojin’s soft smile turned to something a little less innocent and Minho blushed.

“I mean, probably not but- hey! Don’t wiggle your eyebrows at me like that! Pervert…” Minho pouted and crossed his arms, looking away as his ears burned.

“I’ll leave the door unlocked for when you get back.” Woojin laughed at his friend’s expression.

“No, you should lock up. I have my key.” Minho didn’t like the idea of Woojin sleeping in an unlocked apartment. Who knows who could break in…

“Alright, just text me if you aren’t going to be coming back.” Woojin shouldered his backpack and toed on his sneakers.

“Will do, though I’ll most likely be coming home at some point.”

“Just remember to be safe-”

“I know hyung-”

“Use protection-”

“GET OUT!” Minho screeched, throwing the spatula at the door. It hit the frame just as Woojin closed the door behind him. Minho could hear him laughing as he walked down the hall, but he couldn’t bring himself to be truly mad at his friend.

His mind wandered towards Jisung. He remembered the way the younger boy had groaned the night before and quickly slapped his cheeks.

“No,” He told himself sternly. “You don’t know him well enough yet. Plus… after what happened, are you ready to be vulnerable around someone like that again?”

He sighed sadly and started cleaning the dishes. He had a few hours to kill before his exam, and he wanted to fatten Jisung up a little. The boy was cute, but he’d be even cuter with a tummy, Minho decided, his entire demeanor changing.

He pushed the bad memories down as he focused on the task at hand - something he had become very, very good at.

* * *

  
“Ah, hyung!” Jisung grinned when he opened the door. He hadn’t been expecting a knock, especially not with the way his hyungs acted.

“I brought lunch,” Minho said with a smile. “Well, a late lunch.”

His exam had taken a little longer than expected, so by the time he got out, back to his apartment to finish the food and over to the studio, it was well past three.

“Come in! I’ve just been doing some recordings,” Jisung said, pulling Minho into the room. “I’ve been trying to figure out what’s missing at this one part, but I keep drawing a blank.”

“Well, take a break and eat,” Minho pulled the containers out of the large bag hanging from his arm. “I worked too hard on this for you to not enjoy it.”

“You…” Jisung said softly. Minho glanced up and instantly started panicking when he saw tears running down the younger’s face.

“No don’t cry! I’m sorry.” Minho didn’t know what he did to upset the younger. Jisung laughed as he cried and tried to wipe the wetness from his face with his oversized sleeves.

“I’m not upset,” he said, crying more. “I just… no one’s ever cooked for me before. Not since I came here… Chan hyung tries to cook for us but that’s- that’s different.”

“Oh,” Minho breathed, realizing they were happy tears. “Come here Sunggie. I made extra so eat as much as you want.”

“Thank you hyung.” Jisung sniffled and sat next to Minho. The elder had set up a small picnic in the recording studio, complete with cold drinks and dessert. Jisung’s eyes glittered as he took everything in. As Minho was about to start eating, Jisung pulled his hand away. Minho was confused until he saw the younger with his phone out, taking pictures of the meal with a small smile and a blush.

Minho smiled, his chest feeling warm. He let Jisung take a dozen or so pictures before swatting the phone from his hand and giving him a pair of chopsticks.

The two dug in, and Minho couldn’t stop the delighted laugh at how Jisung moaned into each bite.

By the time the meal was finished, Jisung felt like he was going to burst and Minho was perfectly content letting the younger nap against his chest. It felt nice, having someone so close to him after spending so long keeping everyone at arm's length.

Jisung woke up groggy and a little disoriented. He knew he should be working, so why was he laying down on something soft and warm? Soft singing brought him back to reality. Minho came to visit, brought a homemade meal and let Jisung fall asleep on him. Jisung tried to spring up, only to realize Minho’s had been gently wrapped around him.

“Ah- you’re awake.” Minho smiled and Jisung’s head felt fuzzy.

“How long was I- wait, was that you singing?”

“About an hour and yeah, you started waking up and I remembered what you said about not sleeping ever so I was trying to keep you napping a little longer.” Minho stood and stretched his legs, wincing at the numbness in his feet from sitting in the same position for too long.

“Hyung, would you be willing to do me a favor?” Jisung asked, sounding breathless.

“Sure, what can I do?”

“Can you read sheet music?” Jisung asked, already scribbling something down on some scrap paper.

“Yeah, I took a music theory class last semester. Why?” Minho asked, taking the paper as Jisung shoved him into the recording booth.

“Just… sing that for me? Please? It doesn’t have to be perfect. I just want to see something.” His voice came through the microphone. Minho had never been inside of a recording booth, but he had seen enough movies to know that he at least should put the headphones on.

Jisung gave him a few minutes to read the paper and hum the notes. When Minho gave him a thumbs up, the recording light went on and Minho gave it his best shot. He winced, knowing he flat on the high note, but Jisung was grinning on the other side of the glass. He gestured for Minho to try a few more times before throwing the door open and dragging the elder back out again.

“You know, as much as I like to be manhandled, it’s usually in the bedroom.” Minho teased as Jisung shoved him down in the chair. The younger didn’t seem to catch the joke, too preoccupied with trimming and adding what they had just recorded to the same file he had been tinkering on the day before.

Jisung hit a few more buttons before hitting play. Whatever was playing, Minho couldn’t hear, but judging on the unfiltered glee on Jisung’s face, it was good.

“Holy shit hyung, that was it,” He said, the wonder clear in his eyes. Minho couldn’t stop himself from staring, his mouth falling open a little. “We did it! Thank you…”

Jisung was the most beautiful person Minho had ever seen. Minho had never, ever, seen so much light and excitement and passion in one set of eyes. It was like the stars had given Jisung their light. The boy’s cheeks were flushed with the adrenaline of finding the missing piece of his song, and he was bouncing in his seat.

“Jisung…” Minho breathed, feeling as though he wasn’t worthy of having someone so brilliant look at him with such affection.

Before Minho could say anything else, Jisung leaned forward and kissed him. Minho barely had time to close his eyes before Jisung was pulling away, but it felt like there were sparks traveling through Minho’s lips.

“Ah, sorry,” Jisung looked down, moving farther away. “I should have ask. I got carried away-”

Minho broke off his apology with a soft kiss of his own, his lips touching the corner of Jisung’s mouth carefully. Jisung stopped talking immediately and sighed into the light kiss. This time, when Minho pulled away, he was staring directly into Jisung’s wide eyes.

“Hyung…”

“Don’t apologize Jisung,” Minho said softly, nuzzling Jisung’s cheek with his nose. “Please never apologize.”

“Do… do you want to hear it?” Jisung sounded flustered, and it made Minho’s whole being buzz with the realization that he had done that to the younger with a simple kiss. He nodded, smiling as Jisung quickly handed him the headphones.

The song was, to put it simply, amazing. It had the hard electric backing that a lot of their tracks had, but once Jisung started rapping the words flowed so perfectly with the mix of electro and classical instruments playing in the background. Just when Minho thought he couldn’t be more impressed, He heard his own voice join in with Jisung, his higher, lighter notes almost haunting behind Jisung’s lyrics, which were getting more and more emotional. By the time the demo track ended, Minho had tears running down his face.

“Jisung… that was amazing.” he breathed, unable to take his eyes off the younger boy.

“I’ve been working on it for months, but it always felt like it was missing something. Like, it was too flat, I guess. But… your voice was perfect hyung,” Jisung grinned at him and Minho felt dizzy again. “The difference between the backbeat, my rapping and your singing… it’s perfect.”

“You’re perfect.” Minho said softly, not even realizing the words had left his mouth until Jisung blushed and looked away.

“That means a lot, coming from you.” He said with a small smile.

“What?”

“I mean, look at you,” Jisung fiddled with the rip in his jeans a little. “You’re… beautiful, and funny and caring and can cook and can sing? You’re amazing hyung. I… almost feel like I don’t deserve to have you around.”

“Hey now,” Minho stood and put one hand on each of the arm rests, caging Jisung in his chair. “Look at me. You deserve the world, do you hear me? You… you deserve only the best things. I mean, hell! You’re younger than I am and you’ve already written and produced and performed how many songs? You can connect to people with your lyrics in ways I can’t even begin to understand. You’re the youngest, but listen to the song you wrote. It’s better than anything I’ve ever heard on the radio. You’re smart, and talented, and your passion is contagious. Jisung, don’t you DARE think you’re anything less than perfect, you hear me? I swear I’ll tell you every day how amazing you are if I have to.”

“Hyung…” Jisung was crying again. Sure, Chan and Changbin complimented him, and his parents called every few weeks to say how proud they were, but this was different.

Hearing Minho talk so seriously about how amazing he was… Jisung felt like he was floating.

“Huh?” Minho’s attention was pulled away by a ding. He quickly checked his phone and felt confused. Why was Woojin texting him? Didn’t he have another exam soon?

 

 **Jinnie Bear** : I’ve been thinking  
**Jinnie Bear** : and  
**Jinnie Bear** : I think I want to talk to Chris…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha whoops I got carried away and wrote the this chapter and the next as soon as I posted the last and I'm too eager to get it up that I'm posting this now and will post the fourth chapter before I go to dance! I don't like writing too far ahead of what's posted in case someone gives me an idea or if there's something I have to clear up from a previous chapter. 
> 
> This originally was only going to have 2-3 chapters, but I also didn't expect to have such a deep backstory for Woochan or an actual plot past Minsung being cute? 
> 
> But yeah, if you have any comments/concerns/questions leave a comment and I'll try to clear things up!


	4. Chapter 4

“Is something wrong?” Jisung asked, aware of how quiet Minho had suddenly gotten.

“Um, no? But… would Chan hyung be free sometime tonight?”

“I can ask. He’ll definitely be awake but I don’t know if he’ll be willing to leave his computer.” Jisung said, already pulling out his phone.

“I think he’ll want to make time for this.” Minho shot Woojin back a message and waited for Jisung’s response.

“He said he’d be right over,” Jisung slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Are you sure everything is okay?”

“Chan hyung and Woojin hyung… have a history,” Minho didn’t want to say too much. “They have a lot to talk about, but Woojin hyung was worried about meeting with Chan hyung, so when he texted me asking me to ask Chan hyung when they could meet up, I got a little worried about him.”

“Jisung? Is everything alright?” Chan poked his head in, smiling and nodding his head at Minho as he let himself in.

“Yeah, Minho hyung had a question for you.” Jisung said quickly, turing quickly and saving his song before anything bad could happen to it.

“What’s up?” Chan asked, looking confused.

“Um… Woojin hyung wanted to know if you’d be willing to meet up and talk,” Minho tried to sound comforting. He saw how Chan’s face paled and began to panic. “Wait! It’s not what you think! What happened… he told me last night. He’s- he’s been beating himself up over what happened every day. He wants to apologize and explain, but he’s afraid that you hate him now, and won’t want to talk to him.”

“That idiot…” Chan smiled sadly, shaking his head. “Is he free tomorrow?”

“Yeah, he had all his exams today- which was stupid on his part. Who takes an entire semester’s worth of exams on one day?” Minho huffed, still reeling that his friend was that stupid to torture himself that way.

“Sounds like he hasn’t changed a bit,” Chan’s smile softened. “Um, can you see if he’s free around lunch? He can come here, but the chances of being alone aren’t high…”

“You can use our apartment,” Minho instantly offered. “It won’t be hard to find something to amuse myself for a few hours.”

“You’d do that?” Chan asked, looking hopeful.

“I’ve been meaning to catch up with some friends. It’s a good time to see if they’re free,” He turned to Jisung, who was doing a good job at pretending to be sucked into his phone rather than listening to their conversation. “Would you want to come?”

“Ah, I wouldn’t want to intrude…”

“I’m sure they’d love to meet you,” Minho smiled and Jisung found himself nodding in agreement despite his social anxiety screaming at him to not. “Awesome! I’ll text them now. Also, here is Woojin hyung’s number. If you’re gonna talk about things, it’s best if there isn’t a middle man. That’s how things get messed up.”

* * *

  
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Minho asked for the tenth time that morning. He had stayed up with Woojin, who was too nervous to sleep until the sun was almost in the sky.

“Yeah, it’s like taking a bandage off,” Woojin said, looking pale and a little sick. “Just, get it over with and it’ll be okay.”

“Do you want me to stay? I can change my plans.” Minho offered again, knowing what his friend was going to say from the first five times he offered.

“No, but thank you. I can do this… right?”

“Yeah, you got this,” Minho took Woojin’s clammy hand. “By the end of the day, you’ll be best friends again?”

“You think so?” Woojin whispered, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“I know so,” Minho gave Woojin’s hand a squeeze just as his phone dinged. “Ah, that’ll be Jisung. If you need anything text me, okay? We’re just going to the burger place in town. I can be back in ten minutes.”

“Thank you Minnie,” Woojin rested his forehead on Minho’s back. “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this…”

“You’ve got this,” Minho said again, trying to force as must positive energy into his friend as possible. Just then, their buzzer when off. Woojin tensed and started panicking, brushing away non existent dust and chewing on his already gnawed off nails. “Calm down, it’s going to be fine, remember?”

“Yeah… fine…” Woojin said, sounding close to tears.

“Come on in,” Minho said from the front door. Woojin thought his heart was going to stop completely. “Yeah, he’s in the kitchen. I’m heading out- yeah I’ll keep you updated, don’t worry. Bye Woojin hyung!” Minho called across the apartment before closing and locking the door behind him. Chan slipped off his shoes and made his way through the apartment, looking around with a small smile.

It was obvious Woojin lived here, Chan realized. There were photos of Woojin and Minho and who Chan assumed were their friends hung on the walls. The pillows on the couch didn’t match anything at all, but they all looked soft, just like the three separate blankets thrown across the back. There were YA books on the small shelf, the brightly colored jackets reminding Chan of all the times Woojin would let him borrow whatever book he was obsessed with at the time - it always had to do with magic or love, which Woojin always joked went against his stick-in-the-mud personality. Chan always disagreed.

“Woojin?” Chan called, feeling out of place in the oddly quiet apartment.

“In here.” Woojin called back, sounding a lot closer than Chan had been expecting. He walked into the small kitchen. Woojin had his back to Chan, filling two mismatched mugs. One with hot water and the other with hot milk.

“I like your apartment,” Chan said softly, not sure how to break the ice. “It’s very… you.”

“Ah, thank you,” Woojin mixed in the powder, remembering still how Chris liked his hot chocolate. “It was weird, finding a balance between me and Minho. I felt bad because it seemed like I was making all the decisions and he just went along with them.”

“I feel like Minho would be the type of person to speak up if he didn’t like something.” Chris chuckled, and felt the anxiety in his chest lighten some when he saw Woojin’s shoulders shake with a laugh too.

“Most of the time,” Woojin turned and handed the mug to his old friend, careful not to let their fingers touch. Minho was a safe topic to talk about. “He’s either stupidly hard-headed or stupidly selfless. There’s really no in between with that boy.”

“You remembered…” Chris said softly, the taste of his hot chocolate bringing back a flood of memories. Woojin froze before continuing to make his own drink.

“How could I forget?” He asked, just as softly.

“You know, Jisung and Changbin got me hooked on coffee,” Chris laughed a little as he took another sip. “I lasted almost twenty two years without the stuff, and now I’m addicted.”

“I always said you’d give into the dark side sooner or later.” Woojin found himself snickering a little.

“Yeah, you were right. Happy?” Chris pouted a little, causing Woojin to let out a loud laugh.

“It’s not every day I get told I’m right by THE Chris Bang.” Woojin snarked, their natural banter flowing easily between them.

“Don’t get used to it,” Chris stuck out his tongue before taking another sip. Woojin watched as Chris closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. “Look, about what happened-”

“Chris, I’m so sorry,” Woojin interrupted, feeling like he was going to throw up. “I- I have no excuse for what I did… I really don’t. I was being selfish. I knew if I went against my parents they would never have let me out of their sight. I never would have made it here, never be graduating or- but that’s just another excuse, isn’t it? I never wanted to hurt you. Please Chris… please believe me-” Woojin dropped his mug, his hands shaking so badly he couldn’t keep his grip on the ceramic.

The mug shattered at his feet, coating his socks in boiling water. He was already crying, but the sudden pain made him cry out louder.

“Woojin!” Chris rushed forward as Woojin knelt to pick up the pieces. He hissed when a shard sliced into his palm.

“Keep back,” He said softly, trying to hold the slightly red mug bits in shaking hands. “You might get hurt.”

“You idiot.” Chris muttered, picking up the bigger pieces with careful fingers. The two managed to clean the mess quickly and without any more injuries. Woojin threw his socks in the hamper while Chris started unwrapping some bandages.

“You still carry a first aid kit around with you?” Woojin couldn’t help but tease lightly.

“After you… left, I met Changbin. I’ve never seen someone so small pick so many fights,” Chris chuckled, thanking god that his friend mellowed out after meeting Felix. “Then Jisung came along, and I swear that boy dances like a god but has two left feet otherwise. He tripped on nothing the other day and scraped the crap out of his knee.”

“You’re such a dad.”

“You’re not much better,” Chris teased as he placed the bandage over the small wound. His smile abruptly fell, as did Woojin’s stomach. “Look, I’m not mad at you for- for leaving me. I just… I want to know why. That’s been the one thing that’s bothered me all these years.”

“Why?” Woojin parroted bitterly. He poked at the bandaging, knowing it would start to peel up the second he tried to use his hand. “My parents found out I was in love with you, and they didn’t want a sin for a child. They swept me away and forced me to focus on studies so I’d forget about you… but I never did. How could I? You were perfect. You are perfect.”

“You- you loved me?” Chris’ voice was strangled, tears running down his face. Woojin wanted nothing more than to pull him into his chest and comfort the blonde, but he hesitated. Things might be getting better, but Chris wasn’t his best friend anymore. They were… practically strangers at this point.

“Still do, if I’m being honest,” Woojin sat on the floor, his back partially turned to the other. “And I apologize for that. I have no right to say I love you after- after what I did-”

Suddenly, Woojin found himself lying on the ground, a crying Chris stradling him and pouding on his chest with tightly clasped fists.

“You. Idiot. How. Could. You. Say. You. Love. Me. Then. Say. You. Don’t. Deserve. To. Did. You. Even. Ask. How. I. Felt?” Chris punctuated each word with a fist against Woojin’s chest. He wasn’t hitting the older hard enough to hurt him, but he was so frustrated - with Woojin’s parents, with Woojin, with himself even. Tears streamed down his face, speckling Woojin’s shirt with droplets.

“I’m sorry.” Woojin’s heart broke as Chris let out a loud sob. His fist hit Woojin’s chest one more time but wasn’t raised again. Chris let his hands rest on the other’s chest as he sobbed, not caring that his face was getting tacky and red.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Chris finally choked out. “Why didn’t you tell me how you felt back then? We… we could have kept in contact, or met up once you got into college…”

“I was scared,” Woojin answered honestly. “I didn’t even realize I loved you until you were talking about that audition. I thought you were… just my best friend, until I realized if you passed the audition that you’d leave me. I realized… I needed you more than just a friend. I wanted to h-hold you and protect you and raise a dog with you. I was going to tell you the day you left for the audition, but my mom found out before. Her and Dad had us moved out by the end of the weekend. I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to anyone… I’m so sorry Chris. You of all people at least deserve a goodbye.”

“You idiot,” Chris laughed as he wiped his cheeks. He leaned down and slammed their lips together - a first kiss that came several years too late. Woojin froze, not understanding why Chris was kissing him, after everything he put the younger through. When Chris pulled away, he was still smiling. “You absolute idiot. I never failed my audition. I turned it down when they said I would have to move… I got back and told you I didn’t make it because I knew you’d feel guilty, but then you left… I went back the next day and told them I’d take the spot. I came here right after.”

“Chris… I’m so sorry,” Woojin sat up, Chris still on his lap, and buried his face in his friend’s chest. “I’m so sorry.”

“You idiot,” Chris laughed through a sob as he ran his fingers through Woojins soft hair. “You big idiot.”

“Please forgive me.”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Chris kissed the top of his head and felt Woojin cry harder. “On one condition. You never leave me again.”

“Never.” Woojin repeated over and over, like a prayer, as Chris rubbed his back and placed feather light kisses across his face.

* * *

  
“Ah, I’m nervous.” Jisung held Minho’s hand tightly. They were meeting Minho’s friends at the local burger place, and Jisung was worried they wouldn’t like him despite Minho’s assurances that they were going to adore him.

“Don’t worry love, you’re going to steal the show.” Minho kissed the back of Jisung’s hand as they pushed their way into the restaurant. Minho instantly spotted his friends taking up the largest table in the building.

“Hyung! We thought you were going to bail!” The one with sharp cheekbones said as they walked over.

“I’m literally here five minutes before we said to meet. Why would you think I was going to bail Jeongin?”

“Because you said you were bringing your new boyfriend and we figured he would be better company that us.”

“Seungminnie’s just jealous that hyung didn’t want to date him.” The pretty one teased, sipping from his water glass.

“As if!” Seungmin pouted, the blush on his face telling another story.

“Jisung, this is Jeongin, Hyunjin and Seungmin. Guys, this Jisung.” Minho said, not agreeing or denying the comment about Jisung being his boyfriend.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” Jisung said, bowing low. The three froze before laughing happily.

“He’s so polite!” Hyunjin said, eyes sparkling. “I like him.”

“Are you ready to order?” The waitress came over with two more glasses of water and a pad of paper.

“Could we have a few more minutes?” Hyunjin said charmingly. “They just got here and we’re waiting on two more.”

“Take your time.” She smiled and went to refill the drinks at another table.

“Who are we waiting for?” Minho asked as he looked through the paper menu.

“My friend from school,” Hyunjin said as he rolled up some of the paper straw wrapper. “We were going to hang out today but when you said we should get together for lunch I invited him and his boyfriend. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Why would I mind?” Minho grinned. “It’s good to know you have friends other than us.”

“Excuse you! I have plenty of friends!” He put a hand on his chest, looking as though Minho had just offended his ancestors.

“Admirers don’t count as friends hyung,” Jeongin playfully sneered at the boy across from him. “They count as a cult.”

“I’m going to beat you up one day,” Hyunjin said menacingly. “Maybe not today, but one day.”

“So who did everyone catfish as?” Jisung asked, wanting to know more about Minho’s friends. All attention was suddenly on the boy, and he started blushing.

“He knows?” Seungmin asked, glancing at Minho.

“Ironically enough, I thought he was a catfish too,” The eldest said easily, leaning back and resting his arm around Jisung’s shoulders. “Turns out, he really is Han Jisung, and I just happen to be the luckiest person ever.”

“Hyung…” Jisung whined but smiled nonetheless.

“Wait, Han Jisung as in J.One from 3racha?” Hyunjin leaned forward, eyes wide.

“Oh shit, yeah. I thought he looked familiar.” Jeongin commented, causing Seungmin to glare at him.

“Since when do you listen to rap? You’re like, eight.”

“Since I found out how hot the members of 3racha are,” The youngest said without batting an eyelash. “Though you guys aren’t really my type. No offence.” He said to Jisung, who chuckled.

“None taken.”

“Yeah, Innie’s type of guy is the kind that looks super soft and likes to wear pastels.” Seungmin teased.

“Yeah? And so what if it is?” Jeongin pouted, resting his chin on the table.

“Jeongin was a Park Jimin catfish,” Minho whispered to Jisung. “His profile was filled with those cutesy pictures from that one era they did a while back. Hyunjin was a Zico catfish, which I found ironic seeing how Hyunjin doesn’t seem like the type to like Zico’s music.”

“Let me guess, Seungmin was a Kai catfish?” Jisung giggled.

“Surprisingly, he had two accounts,” Minho said, as if he was sharing a huge secret. “One was for Park Jaehyung and the other was for Hyuna.”

“Getting both demographics,” Jisung nodded. “I commend his efforts.”

“Me too, other than the fact that I called him out on both.”

“Ah, you like both hyung?” Jisung glanced at Minho from the corner of his eye.

“Yeah, figured out early on.” Minho said, giving Jisung’s shoulder a squeeze.

“Me too.” Jisung whispered, almost too quiet for Minho to hear at all. Instead of responding, he just leaned over and kissed the younger’s head.

“Hyunjinnie!” A deep voice called across the noisy room. Everyone’s heads turned to see a skinny redhead with a face full of freckles followed by a short boy dressed in all black with a baseball cap low over his face walking up to their table.

“Felix, over here!”

“Felix? Binnie hyung?” Jisung stared at the newcomers with wide eyes. The short boy looked up and Minho recognized him from dinner the night before.

“I didn’t know you were friends with Hyunjin!” Felix grinned, sliding in next to Jisung.

“We actually just met,” Jisung seemed a lot more relaxed now that the two were there. “Minho hyung brought me.”

“Binnie hyung, this is the one you were complaining about?” Felix turned to Changbin, who refused to look at anyone. “He’s so cute though! You’re just being overprotective again, aren’t you?’

“Hyung, you were complaining about Minho hyung?” Jisung pouted, causing everyone at the table to speak up all at once.

The waitress came back with two glasses of water and two more menus, saying she’d be back soon for their orders.

“I’m glad you guys could make it,” Hyunjin said happily. “I’ve been wanting to meet your boyfriend for a while now.”

“Yeah, well Chan hyung suddenly had plans which never happens so I was finally able to go out with Lixie.” Changbin said, smiling softly.

“See, hyung can be cute.” Jisung cooed, causing Changbin to flush and scowl. Felix just laughed and patted his boyfriend’s cheek lovingly.

“No need to pout hyung,” Felix said with a cheeky grin. “You’re adorable. You can’t help it.”

“I’m not adorable, I’m intimidating.” He huffed, shoving his nose in the menu so the others wouldn’t see the blush spreading from his neck to his ears.

“I wonder how Chan hyung is doing.” Jisung muttered, tracing a pattern on the table with his finger.

“I’m sure they’re doing fine,” Minho reassured the other boy. “They’re probably crying right now, but by the time we get back they’ll be cuddling on the couch like an old married couple.”

“You seem really sure about that.”

“I know how Woojin hyung really feels. There’s no way that big old bear won’t confess his undying love.” Minho snickered, knowing he was absolutely right. You don’t live with someone for four years and not learn everything about them. They cheered as their food arrived, quicker than any of them expected.

“I hope you’re right… Chan hyung deserves someone good in his life.” Jisung sounded far away.

“Hey, what are your plans for tomorrow?”

“Um, just more studio work probably. Why?” Jisung looked up at Minho with his large eyes and the elder felt his heart skip a beat.

“Would you want to sleep over?” Minho asked, wondering if it was too soon. “When Woojin hyung and I first moved in with each other, we spent the first few nights in a pillow fort in the living room. We figured it would be best to get to know all the gritty details about each other right off the bat. You know how 3am conversations go.”

“Was this before or after your... Last relationship?” Jisung asked cautiously. Minho blinked but otherwise didn’t show any reaction. On the inside, though, it felt like his entire chest had been doused in ice water.

“Um, before,” he grinned and took a sip of water. “I figured you’d be curious about… all that, and a sleepover would be the perfect time to ask questions and stuff. I’m a pretty open book if you ask me direct things. Plus, my money is on Chan hyung staying over anyway. Woojin’s too much of a cuddler to let him go home early.”

“If you’re okay with me asking questions…” He sounded hesitant, but Minho could tell the younger wanted to know more about him. “I’d like to stay over.”

“I can make us a cute breakfast in the morning and everything. Minho bumped Jisung’s nose with his own.

“Can you guys not? Just because you’re cute and happy doesn’t mean the rest of us are.” Seungmin said loudly, making Jisung and Minho fly apart. Apparently, he wasn’t just talking to them, because Felix and Changbin were also suspiciously red and suddenly sitting with a gap between them.

“Bold of you to assume,” Hyunjin said, biting into a fry. “Just cuz you’re single doesn’t mean I am.”

“What? When did you get into a relationship?” Seungmin asked accusingly.

“I’ll tell you for some waffle fries.” Hyunjin said, eying the younger's plate.

“You have your own fries!”

“Yeah, but they aren’t waffle fries!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the next chapter is going to have more exposition into what happened with Minho! I'm excited for things to get SAD for a little bit. I have two different plot arcs in mind, and I might try to fit both in before I wrap this fic up but I'm not sure how I'm going to do that yet... whoops I'll figure it out as I go UwU


	5. Chapter 5

“See you guys later!” Hyunjin called as Minho, Jisung, Felix and Changbin split from their little group.

“Hopefully it won’t keep being every couple of months!” Minho called back with a smile. “I miss our weekly lunches.”

“Gross hyung you make us sound like middle aged moms catching up while the kids are in class.” Jeongin said, making a face.

“Aren’t we?” Minho grinned at the youngest, who opened his mouth to retaliate only to close it again with a blank expression.

“Get home safe!” Hyunjin said, pulling against Seungmin who was tugging him away.

“You guys too! Text me when you’re back!” Minho said quickly. Hyunjin gave him a thumbs up just as he was dragged around a corner.

“You’re just a mom, jeez.” Changbin said with a laugh.

“I just want to make sure my kids are safe, nothing wrong with that.” Minho sniffed dramatically, taking Jisung’s hand.

“Do you guys have plans tonight?” Felix asked innocently, but Minho could see the blush under his freckles.

“I’m sleeping over hyung’s place, if that’s okay.” Jisung said softly, smiling. Changbin whirled around and glared at Minho.

“No funny business, you hear?” He growled at the elder, who held his free hand up in innocence. “Jisung is an adult, yeah, but you just started dating and if you’re going to date you’re going to do it properly.”

“Hyung, you’re doing it again.” Felix giggled as he tugged on Changbin’s arms. Instantly, the rapper’s demeanor changed. He went from a guard dog with his hackles raised to a lap dog wanting attention. He turned to Felix, who wrapped both his arms around one of the older boy’s and nuzzled his shoulder.

“Ah, just keep him safe.” Changbin finished lamely, blushing.

“Of course. I won’t let anything happen to him.” Minho promised, pulling Jisung closer and wrapped an arm around his waist.

“Hyung…” Jisung whined, blushing but not pulling away from the elder’s touch.

“We’re just going to grab some stuff for him to stay over and go back to my place,” Minho said easily. Just then, his phone dinged. He checked the messaged and grinned.

“Looks like your dorm is going to be empty tonight, Changbinnie.”

“What?” The smaller squeaked, looking away from Minho’s suspicious smirk.

“Woojin hyung just texted me. Chan hyung fell asleep and he doesn’t want to wake him up so he’s staying over too.” Minho explained, grinning at the other couple, both sporting matching blushes at the implications from the elder.

“Come on hyung, I’ll be quick.” Jisung said, unlocking the door to their dorm. The four boys filed in, closing the door behind them. Jisung sprinted off to what Minho assumed was his room to pack as the elder took a look around. It wasn’t very decorated, like his apartment, but it was very clear it was lived in. There were papers and notebooks on almost every flat surface. Clothing and shoes littered the floor, as if they stripped off their outer layers just in time to collapse on the couch and pass out. On the walls, they hung framed magazine clippings talking about 3racha’s accomplishments. Minho figured their awards would be at the company building, but wished the boys could have them because they’d look good adorning the dorm’s bare walls. Minho would have to get something for Jisung to hang.

Jisung came scrambling back with a backpack half zipped in his hand. He went right up to Minho with a bright smile and Minho thought back on his life, because he had to have done something amazing to have Jisung look at him that way.

“Ready to go?” Minho asked with a smile.

“Yeah, I think so!” Jisung was so excited he was bouncing.

“Alright, let’s head out,” Minho took the boy’s free hand in his. “We can order out tonight, or I can see what I can make with what’s in our fridge. I honestly can’t remember the last time I went shopping but Woojin hyung is pretty good at keeping us from going hungry.”

“I don’t want to think about food right now.” Jisung whined, his stomach still full from their lunch.

“That’s fair,” Minho laughed. “We’ll figure it out later.”

* * *

  
“Are you comfortable?” Minho whispered to Jisung. They ended up ordering out because Woojin didn’t want them waking Chan up with cooking noises. Woojin managed to bring

Chan into his room without waking him up, but the eldest still didn’t want them making too much noise. Minho shook his head as Woojin started setting up a bed on the couch for himself. He tried to convince his roommate to just share a bed with Chan, but the blush on Woojin’s face told Minho he wasn’t ready for that yet.

After they ate, Minho and Jisung made a little pillow fort in the elder’s room, using extra sheets from Woojin to make walls and pillows from the living room to pad it. Jisung had changed early on, and Minho thought he was adorable in his sleep pants and oversized shirt. They settled into the fort, side by side.

“Yeah, these pillows are really soft.” Jisung giggled softly as he hugged one.

“Woojin hyung picked them out because they were the comfiest in the whole store.” Minho said, smiling warmly at the other boy.

“He picked good ones.” Jisung rested his chin on the pillow and gave a low, content hum.

“I meant it, what I said earlier,” Minho said, feeling nervous for some reason. “You can ask me anything you want. No boundaries.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to make you talk about… uncomfortable things.” Jisung shifted, looking away. Minho was touched that Jisung cared so much, but he also knew sometimes you had to talk about painful things to overcome them.

“My therapist told me that talking about things can help,” Minho admitted. “I only saw her three times but that stuck with me at least.”

“Okay, um… how did you and Woojin hyung meet?” Jisung asked, starting with safer topics.

“He transferred to my high school during Junior year. He was super focused on his classes but I forced him to be my friend,” Minho laughed as he thought back to how long it took the elder to open up to him. “We really weren’t close friends until the summer before freshman year of college, despite all my efforts in high school. When we found out we were going to the same college we decided it would be better to room with someone we sort of knew rather than a complete stranger. He really changed since high school, thankfully. He was kind of an asshole.”

“Him? An asshole? I can’t see it.” Jisung denied it entirely.

“No, really! Well, maybe not an asshole, but he was real standoff-ish and cold to everyone. Said he needed to focus on his studies-” Minho felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. “Oh fuck… that was when he was forced to move-”

“Does it have to do with Chan hyung?” Jisung connected the dots quickly.

“I think so, yeah,” Minho whispered. How did he not realize when Woojin was telling him before? “No wonder he was so angry all the time…”

“It’s okay hyung, you couldn't have known.” Jisung hugged Minho. He hadn’t even realized tears were stinging his eyes until he leaned into Jisung’s embrace.

“I guess, but I still feel awful for not… not being able to do something,” Minho leaned back and rubbed his eyes. This was going to be a long night. “God, if I had known back then, I would have done so many things different…”

“Hyung… what- what happened with your ex?” Jisung said suddenly. When Minho tensed he backtracked a little. “You really don’t have to talk about it tonight! I just… want to know what happened so I know how to help you.”

“I… it’s a long story.” Minho warned.

“We have all the time in the world.” Jisung moved so he could rest his head on Minho’s shoulder.

“Well… I met him at the beginning of my sophomore year of college,” Minho started, trying to think of the best way to tell everything without scaring Jisung off. He knew he was broken, but he didn’t want the younger boy to know too. “He was really sweet at first. Really attentive and wonderful. Then… things started getting stressful. He’d ask where I was at all times. He threatened to come to my work and burn it down so we could spend more time together. Every day dating him felt more and more like chore, because I’d always be the one talking him down from some anger fit, or talking him down from crying over something… I always told him it was okay for guys to cry and express emotion and stuff but he’d cry almost every single day over the littlest things. He said he didn’t like the fact that I was bi, and would cry whenever I brought it up. Said he didn’t like the idea of me being with a girl because that meant he wasn’t good enough for me or whatever… Once, we were fooling around and he said stop. It took all of like… half a second for his words to get to my brain but because I didn’t stop the moment he wanted me to, he said I tried to- to rape him…. He started accusing me of cheating on him, and he’d make me buy him things to make it up to him. It got to the point where when we’d sleep together, it felt more like he was just using my body to get off. I wanted to break up with him for months, but he said he would… he would either hurt himself or... kill himself if I left him, so I stayed… by the time Woojin hyung finally stepped in, I was broken. I was afraid and hurt. It took months for me to be able to focus on myself again. I felt like a failure. I almost dropped out of school because I was so afraid of seeing him, but he ended up transferring to another college. Even now I sometimes find myself thinking about him - about the things we did when we were together, and how I wish I had handled things when I had the chance... Jisung, he really fucked me up. Really, really badly. It’s been over a year and I still feel as broken as I did the day we split up. I’m terrified that I’m going to end up hurting you because I get scared and lash out, or I’ll end up doing what- what he did to me, to you. God, I never want to be like him…”

Minho let out a sob, the emotions crashing down on him. What he said wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg. He didn’t mention how his ex was his first, or how he made Minho feel dirty by demanding he get tested, even though Minho had never slept with anyone before. He didn’t mention how his ex went on to tell all his new friends how awful and manipulative Minho was, even though all Minho did was try to support him. He didn’t mention how he still had nightmares about his ex finding him and hurting him, or how he felt that maybe, just maybe he deserved everything that happened to him.

“Hyung, you didn’t deserve any of that,” Jisung wrapped his arms tightly around Minho’s chest and buried his face in the elder’s collar. Minho was startled- did he say that out loud? Jisung didn’t realize he managed to hit one of Minho’s fears, and kept talking. “What he put you through… he was the manipulative one, not you. You did what you thought you could to make him happy, but he never deserved you in the first place. If I ever see this asshole… I’m going to break his kneecaps.”

“You get the left one and I’ll get the right one.” Minho laughed through his sobs. It had been a while since he’d talked about his ex out loud, and it felt… almost good. Cathartic almost.

“I promise hyung, you’ll never be hurt like that again,” Jisung breathed, his words fanning against Minho’s neck. “I’ll never let you feel that way ever again.”

“Jisung…”

“If I ever do anything that… that’s like him, tell me, okay? I want you to be honest with me, and if do something that upsets you, you need to let me know.”

“I will, but I doubt you could ever be like him. You don’t have a manipulative bone in your body.” Minho felt himself smile a little.

“That’s not true. Once I pouted for two hours until Channie hyung let us get ice cream.” Jisung said, wiggling a little so he was seated in Minho’s lap.

“That doesn’t count,” Minho laughed fully. “That was just you being cute. You could never… do what he did…” The laughter faded, as did his smile.

“Hyung, look at me?” Jisung asked gently, and how could Minho say no? He turned to look at the younger, only to find Jisung’s lips on his.

Minho closed his eyes and let Jisung lead the kiss. It had been so long since he had properly kissed someone - the kiss they shared in the studio too hesitant to be considered proper, in his opinion.

“You’re safe now,” Jisung kissed the corner of Minho’s mouth. “I’ll protect you. I promise.”

“Thank you…” Minho leaned down and hide his face in Jisung’s neck, placing light kisses on the younger’s tanned skin. Just being able to hold Jisung made Minho feel safer, and he didn’t understand how Jisung did it. How could one person make Minho feel so safe and warm?

“You’re so strong hyung. You’ve been through so much, and you’re still here. That’s amazing.”

“Nah, I’m just stubborn. I stayed alive out of spite,” Minho grinned, causing Jisung to laugh. “If you have any more questions for me…”

“Hmm,” Jisung settled into Minho’s lap more comfortably, resting his head against the elder’s chest. “When did you realize you were bi?”

“Back in high school, before I knew what gay really meant, there was this boy on the dance squad that had the most amazing thighs you’ve ever seen…”

* * *

  
“Should we wake them up?” Woojin whispered, peeking into Minho’s room. In the middle of the nest of blankets and pillows, Minho and Jisung were curled around each other, sleeping peacefully.

“Nah, let them sleep.” Chris smiled warmly. It wasn’t often he saw Jisung resting. Sure, he and Changbin weren’t nearly as bad as himself when it came to taking care of themselves, but he knew they should be getting more than four hours a night. Speaking of resting, that night in Woojin’s bed was the best night’s sleep he had gotten in what felt like years. It only got better when he realized Woojin was sleeping on the couch and convinced the elder to join him.

“Want some breakfast?” Woojin offered as he gently closed the door.

“Ah, I don’t want to overstay my welcome-” Chris said, looking down awkwardly.

“As if you could ever,” Woojin countered, already digging through the fridge. “Do you still have the same appetite after all these years?”

“If anything it’s gotten worse,” Chris laughed as he took some containers from the other, putting them on the counter. Despite all the years apart, they still managed to work together flawlessly, as if they had never been apart. “Jisung and Binnie always mock me, saying my ego gets fat instead of my body.”

“The day you become egotistical is the day the grass turns purple.” Woojin said without hesitation, causing Chris to laugh.

“You say that now, but I’ve gotten a bit of a big head recently.” He chuckled.

“Well, you deserve it,” Woojin said quietly, making Chan stop laughing. “You’ve worked so hard, and you’re one of the most talented people I know. If anyone deserves to be a little cocky, it’s you.”

“Jinnie, you’re getting soft.” Chris murmured as he walked over to Woojin. The elder quickly spun around and put his arms on either side of Chris’ body, pinning him against the counter. Woojin stared at Chris’ mouth for a moment before letting his eyes flit up to Chris’.

“You’ve always been the one to make me soft, Chris.” He whispered against Chris’ lips, the gap small enough that he could feel Chris’ breath on his mouth. “Always.”

Chris leaned in and let their lips touch gently, almost as if he was afraid of being rejected. Woojin pressed his lips into Chris’, adding enough pressure to tilt the younger’s head back just the slightest bit. Chris’ arms snaked around Woojin’s waist, clasping just above his pant line.

It was… perfect. Woojin thought his chest was going to implode from how happy he was. After all those years, he was finally kissing Chris. He was finally holding Chris and kissing him, and this time nothing was going to stop him from loving Chris like he deserved.

“Gross, dads are making out in the kitchen!” Jisung called suddenly, making Woojin and Chan to jump apart.

“Aw, you scared them,” Minho came up behind the grinning Jisung, resting his chin on the younger’s shoulder with a sleepy smirk. “Oh are you making breakfast? We got up at the right time.”

“I swear you have some sort of sixth sense when it comes to food,” Woojin grumbled, putting the medium pan away and pulling out the large one. “So, looked like you two had an interesting night.”

“We talked about… a lot of stuff.” Jisung said, tugging Minho’s arms around his waist. Once he was secure in the elder’s arms, he leaned back into Minho’s chest, knowing he wouldn’t fall.

“I told him about what happened sophomore year.” Minho said suddenly, and Woojin dropped the spatula he had been about to use.

“Oh, okay…” He said, quickly picking it up and putting it in the sink before grabbing a clean one.

“It’s okay hyung,” Minho said softly. “He deserved to know. Especially if we want to keep… this.” He squeezed Jisung’s waist and Woojin felt his mouth turn up in a small, hesitant smile.

“If you trust him that much…” He sighed, feeling like he was giving away his child in marriage almost. “I know how hard it is for you to talk about all that. I’m really proud of you Minnie.”

“Thanks hyung.” Minho smiled and Jisung turned his head to gently kiss Minho’s neck. Woojin went about making breakfast, grilling Jisung here and there. He likes Jisung well enough, but he had to make sure he was good enough for his best friend.

“Should we be getting back soon?” Jisung asked, pouting. He didn’t want to leave, but he knew they should.

“Nah,” Chris smiled at how Jisung perked up. “I’m sure Binnie and Felix are taking advantage of the empty dorm, and we’ve been working really hard lately. One day won’t ruin our comeback.”

“Well you convinced me,” Jisung said dramatically. I GUESS I can take a day away from my work, but only for you hyung.” He turned and bumped his nose against Minho’s playfully. Minho grinned and kissed him quickly before picking him up and carrying him over to the couch, which was still set up as a bed.

He listened to Jisung beg him not to drop him before kissing his neck loudly and plopping him down on the sofa, careful not to let Jisung’s head hit the arm. Jisung squealed as Minho sat on top of him, while the elder just laughed loudly.

Woojin and Chan watched from the kitchen, cleaning up breakfast together and smiling. This was how it should have always been, Woojin thought to himself happily. Sure, there were still things he and Chris had to work through, but for now they were happy.

For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bitch to write. I never really talked about it, but what Minho said about his ex was directly based off my last relationship. I love projecting my own trauma and insecurities on my fics *star eyes emoji*  
> But seriously, I'm still working through shit. I'm more rage filled than scared, but I'm still paranoid of running into him because who the hell knows what that psycho would do?
> 
> I let this chapter be a little fluffier at the end because I finally figured out how to fit in both my plot lines in the next chapter, which means there's gonna be DRAMA!


	6. Chapter 6

“What do you still have to do?” Minho asked.

“I wanted to rebalance some things and maybe add a few more lines,” Jisung said, not taking his eyes off the computer. “I’m also working on another track for the new album. Chan hyung heard the rough version and gave me thumbs up for it.”

“A second track? Can I hear it?” Minho asked, perking up. Minho had been spending time with Jisung for the last three weeks, watching him work and trying to give him a pep when he needed it. Minho was really impressed with his boyfriend - Jisung truly worked harder than anyone Minho knew. The boy only slept when Minho reminded him, only ate when Minho brought him dinner. He spent hours and hours locked between writing lyrics, recording lines and fixing the songs for their new album, which was set to drop in a week.

“Ah, you can’t hear it yet!” Jisung said quickly, saving what he was working on and switched programs. “It’s a surprise. You can hear it when the album drops.”

“Secrets, secrets are no fun.” Minho sang, twirling the desk chair around and pulling Jisung away from the computer.

“Hyung!” Jisung giggled, pulling his legs up to his chest.

“Guess I’ll have to force it out of you.” Minho grinned, tickling Jisung’s sides lightly. Jisung cackled and tried to wiggle away, tears forming in his eyes.

“Ah! I give! I give!” He cried, slumping when Minho moved away.

“I want a kiss,” Minho said, moving away. Jisung stood and leaned in, but Minho danced away. “Nuh uh, you gotta work for it.”

“Not fair!” Jisung pouted but stood in front of Minho and jumped up, placing a kiss on Minho’s mouth before coming back down.

“You’re so cute.” Minho grinned and pulled Jisung into a real kiss. Placing his hand on Jisung’s lower back and kissing him deeply, Minho felt his heart start to beat faster and faster. It was still hard to believe that THE Han Jisung was his boyfriend- that THE Han Jisung wanted some random guy in college, when he was famous and could have anyone he desired, and he still picked Minho. He felt Jisung smile into the kiss, opening his mouth a little. Minho surged forward, licking Jisung’s lip gently. Jisung teased Minho’s tongue with his own, getting bolder and bolder the more he learns what the elder likes. They hadn’t gone too far - yet, but Minho knew he could trust Jisung when the time came.

“You’re cuter.” Jisung breathed as he pulled away. Minho felt breathless as he looked at Jisung - his sparkling eyes and flushed cheeks and bright smile.

“Hm, yeah you’re right.” Minho stuck his tongue out playfully and Jisung tried to bite it but the elder moved back just in time.

“You want to get some food?” Jisung offered, and Minho grinned wider. It wasn’t often the younger was the one to suggest taking a break. In the last three weeks, Jisung offered to get food maybe twice. Every other time it was Minho realizing neither of them had eaten in eight hours and telling Jisung he didn’t have a choice.

“I’d love to,” Minho smiled softly, not understanding why his chest was so warm and fuzzy. “What were you thinking of?”

“Hmm I kinda want sushi.” Jisung grabbed his jacket and opened the door for Minho. Just as they were about to step out, they saw Chan walking towards them.

“Oh, are you leaving?” he asked, sounding surprised.

“Just for lunch.” Jisung said easily. Chan grimaced.

“We need your tracks by tomorrow,” He said, sounding sorry. “They pushed it up. Just told me an hour ago. We have to have the final tracks for the album by tomorrow at midnight.”

“Tomorrow?” Jisung paled. “Wait- that’s so soon! I can’t finish by then!”

“I know you can do it Jisung,” Chan placed a hand on Jisung’s shoulder. “You’re one of the brightest kids I’ve ever met. If anyone can make this deadline, it’s you.”

“But hyung…” Jisung was close to tears.

“It’ll be okay,” Chan pulled him into a hug. “After tomorrow, we’ll have a break, okay? Just a little bit more of a push and we can rest.”

“Alright… fuck, I guess I have to double down.” Jisung said, sounding faint. He pulled away from Chan and immediately took his jacket off again. He threw it to the side and slammed back down in his chair, throwing his headphones back on and opening his programs. Minho frowned and turned to Chan.

“Why did they change the date?” He asked, his chest tight with worry.

“Apparently they think if we dropped it early, without any warning, it would be a publicity stunt to gain more attention. Normally we have the tracks finished weeks before the deadline, but they’ve been rejecting everything we bring to them. We’ve had to redo half of our songs, some three or four times before they accepted them. This… Oh god I don’t know if we’re going to make this deadline Minho.” Chan’s voice dropped, tears stinging his eyes. He dropped his head onto Minho’s shoulder and sniffled, trying to hold back tears.

“Don’t talk like that,” Minho instantly wrapped his arms around his friend. “It’s going to be rough but you can do this.”

“We’re not going to be able to sleep until this is finished…” Chan looked exhausted but there was nothing Minho could do to help his friend.

“I’m going to see if I can get some food for Jisung. I’m going to make sure he eats even if I have to feed him.” Minho joked and Chan managed a small smile.

“Take care of him.” Chan said before turning and shuffling back to his own studio.

“Jisunggie?” Minho poked his head back into the room. He walked in and tapped the boy on his shoulder to get his attention. Jisung pulled off his headphones and looked at the elder with a panicked expression. “I’m going to get you some lunch, okay? You keep working and I’ll be right back.”

“I c-can’t take a b-break to eat-” Jisung was on the verge hyperventilating, his large eyes filled with tears that he was trying his hardest not to shed.

“Hush, you’re going to be okay,” Minho kissed Jisung’s forehead and pulled on his jacket. “I’ll feed you if I have to but I’m not letting you starve. How can my talented man show the world how amazing he is if he can’t focus cuz he’s starving?”

“I love you hyung.” Jisung’s voice trembled. His hands shook as he tried to type, and his heart was beating so loud it was suffocating. Minho froze, shocked at what Jisung said, before melting and smiling.

“I love you too Jisunggie,” he said, placing a gentle kiss on Jisung’s mouth. “I’ll be right back.”

He let himself out, but Jisung barely noticed. His eyes were trained on his computer screen, but he was too anxious to actually see what he was doing.

“Shit… I knew I shouldn’t have gone home early,” he seethed. He knew Minho made sure he went home to rest. Minho made sure he got enough sleep and enough to eat, no matter how much the younger argued. “Shit, Shit- SHIT!”

He pushed away from the desk, forgetting his headphones were plugged in. They were yanked off his head and slammed onto the floor. Jisung stared at the headphones on the ground, a pressure in his chest rising until a sob ripped through him.

He fell to his knees and sobbed into his hands. In all the years he had been in the industry, this was the one things that might break him. One day to completely finished two tracks? By himself?

He knew he could wait until their next album to add the songs, but he had been working too damn hard for too damn long to get these songs out in the world and he refused to be pushed down for who knows how many months.

With a shaking breath, Jisung wiped his face and picked up his headphones. Slipping them over his hair, he sat back down and started working again. He knew he had to get to work or he would let himself down, and his hyungs down, and he’d let Minho down.

He tried to keep his hands from shaking but no matter what he did his fingers kept trembling around the mouse. He accidentally moved one line of the background music to the wrong position due to the shaking.

Jisung took another deep breath, holding his face in his hand as he tried to calm down. Freaking out would only make things worse, and he knew that, but he was so scared of messing up - afraid of failing.

“Okay, I got this.” He said to himself and he tried again. He fixed the messed up line and started smoothing out the bumps he had been planning on doing in the next few days. He hit a mistake early on, working for fifteen minutes on a single issue. No matter what he did, it didn’t sound right-

“Come on…” he growled as he did something he had never done before. “Fine, that’s just how it’s going to be. I don’t have time for this.”

He had never given up or left something unfinished before. He would work endlessly to make sure everything was absolutely perfect, going so far as to scrap an entire song if something didn’t work. Leaving something unfinished… was unheard of. Maybe if he had time after finishing the second track he’d go back, but he was on a time crunch.

He moved to work on the second song - the thing he had been working the hardest on. It was a solo rap that he wrote for Minho specifically.

He was excited for the older boy to hear it. He started writing it the day after their sleepover. It was something that just flowed so easily onto his paper, and he needed this one to be perfect for his hyung.

Oh god… what if Minho doesn’t like it? What if Minho was angry?

Jisung started shaking again. Minho meant so much to him. What if he scared the elder off with this? Tears started running down his cheeks. He didn’t want to scare Minho off - he wanted to protect him, not hurt him-

“Oh…. oh no…” Jisung’s heart stopped. As he was trying to wipe his tears, he nudged the mouse and deleted the file. “F-fuck…”

Part of him knew he could recover the file, but the instant horror he felt settle over him. He stared at the desktop screen, his breathing picking up to where he couldn’t inhale at all. He started hyperventilating, his vision starting to swim as he slipped off his chair and curled up under his desk.

He hadn’t had a true panic attack in years, but he had never had to deal with one alone. Before, he had Chan and Changbin nearby at all times, always there to help him when things got too stressful. Now, he was alone.

Jisung reached for his phone and shakily tapped on Minho’s contact.

“Please hyung,” He sobbed as the phone rang. “Please pick up.”

* * *

  
Minho hurried from the company building, the only thing on his mind was jisung. He was going to find the best sushi, and maybe also some drinks to keep him hydrated. And snacks for if he got hungry later on. And some sweets because he was so sweet and deserved something tasty for all his hard work.

He hummed as he stopped in the convenience store to buy the snacks, his eyes honing in on the colorful wrappers immediately. He started piling things in his arms, until a worker came over to him with a basket.

“Shopping for a party?” He joked, helping Minho empty his arms into the basket with a smile.

“Ah, my boyfriend has a deadline to finish, and he always forgets to eat so I’m bringing him… anything he could possibly want.” Minho said a little sheepishly. He moved over and started putting various drinks in the basket - iced teas, sodas, iced coffees, energy drinks - anything Jisung could possibly crave.

“Here, I’ll double bag this so it doesn't break.” The cashier said at the checkout.

“Ah, thank you,” Minho smiled, hoping Jisung would like the snacks he picked up. Anything that Jisung didn’t like, he was sure Chan and Changbin would.

Stepping out of the store, he checked his phone. Nothing from Jisung, but he was sure his boyfriend was hard at work. He spent a few moments deciding where to get the sushi from, only wanting to get the best for Jisung. He quickly decided to go a little farther to buy from his favorite place across town.

As he walked, he started feeling anxious. He didn’t really know why. Maybe he was just worried about Jisung? The pressure in his chest continued to grow, as if someone was sitting on him, making it hard for him to breathe. He took slow, deep breaths as he crossed the street, checking his phone again.

Frowning at the lack of messages, Minho slipped it back into his pocket and started thinking of ways to surprise Jisung after everything blew over. Maybe he could take him out on a real, honest to god date. All of their dates so far had been at the studio, at Minho’s apartment or at the cafe where they met.Minho remembered seeing a flyer for a musical being put on by one of the local schools. It wasn’t professional theater, but he thought his boyfriend would maybe like to see a show. Then they could get late night ice cream at the convenience store and have another sleepover.

By the time the familiar building came into view, Minho was smiling again. He pushed open the door and was hit with the sudden urge to call Jisung. He pulled out his phone again, only to stop himself. If Jisung was busy, calling might mess him up, but if something was wrong-

“Welcome! What can we help you with?” The peppy worker asked as he walked into the restaurant, cutting off his internal argument over whether or not to call Jisung. For the moment, that is.

“Um, could I get…” He trailed off as the door opened again. He looked at his phone, ready to text Jisung and ask what he wanted, but decided it would be best to surprise his boyfriend. “Can I just get one of the platters?”

“Ah, that’ll take a little while to prepare. Is that alright?”

“Yeah no problem.” Minho smiled and stood off to the side, not wanting to take up too much space. He scrolled through his notifications, blocking out the noise from the shop. In the middle of looking for the right picture he wanted to send to his group chat with Hyunjin, Seungmin and Jeongin, Minho froze.

He would know that laugh anywhere.

He looked up and felt his stomach immediately heave. He had gotten taller, and broader, but the guy ordering at the counter was his ex. There was no mistaking that straight nose or curly hair. When he turned, Minho knew the profile almost better than his own.

Minho tried to act normal, but he felt a cold sweat breakout across his forehead. He had imagined this scenario so many times, but now that it was actually happening… he was frozen. There were no witty quips or Woojin next to him. There was nothing Minho could do.

His phone started vibrating just as the guy at the counter turned around. Minho made eye contact with him, his phone falling from his hand and shattering on the floor, stopping the incoming call from Jisung.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say angst? Because that's what you're getting UwU  
> The next chapter is going to be fluffier, don't worry. This was the bulk of the hurt, so it's mainly going to be comfort until the end.  
> Unless I think of something else painful to put in :3


	7. Chapter 7

“Minho? I… didn’t think I’d see you here.” He said, looking awkward. Minho could hear his blood roaring in his ears. His hands were shaking and he thought he was going to throw up. How dare he… how dare he look bashful after everything he did to Minho. How dare he speak to Minho- how dare he even LOOK at Minho.

“Long time no see.” Minho felt himself saying, his voice much steadier than his hands, which he shoved into his pockets. He realized he had dropped his phone at the same time his ex did. They both bent down to pick it up at the same time, their hands touching briefly.

“Ah, here,” He handed the shattered device to Minho, who made a point not to touch his hand a second time. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s fine,” Minho frowned when his phone wouldn’t turn on. He suddenly missed Jisung so, so much more. He wished the younger was with him. With Jisung by his side, Minho knew he would have had the confidence to tell this asshole off. Alone… he wasn’t so sure. “I thought you had moved.”

“Yeah, but I’m back in the area for work now,” He said, as if they were old friends catching up. “Look, I know we didn’t… end on a good note, but I’ve missed you Angel.”

“First of all,” Something in Minho snapped when he heard the old pet name. “You will never call me Angel again. Secondly, we didn’t end on a good note because you treated me like a toy for months. And don’t think I haven’t heard the things you’ve been saying about me. I have friends up there.”

“Look, I was just mad okay? No hard feelings?”

“No, hard feelings,” Minho swallowed thickly, feeling like he was about to pass out. “You… you really fucked me up, you know? I’ve finally found someone I care about and I’m so- so scared. Of everything. That I’m going to do something to him that you did to me, and that I’m going to hurt him the way you hurt me.”

“I never hurt you Minho,” He said flatly, all false pleasantries gone. “You were the one that was too emotional and clingy. I put up with it for you, but it was exhausting.”

“I was the emotional one?” Minho didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry. “You- you threatened to burn down the cafe-”

“God, it was a joke!” He was starting to raise his voice and Minho was scared. “You’ve always been like this. You read too far into things and get hurt and it’s your own fault.”

“No…” Minho remembered something he had read. “You- you don’t get to tell me what hurts me. You don’t get to tell me I’m overreacting if you’ve upset me. My feelings are my own, and I need to stand my ground. I was always too worried about keeping you happy when we were dating that I let you get away with anything, but not anymore. You made me feel… feel like I was always doing something wrong, and it’s been hard trying to recover from that.”

“You’re making shit up,” he said, his face going blank. Minho felt his pulse pick up. He was terrified, but there was nothing he could do, nowhere he could go. “You just want to play victim so people feel sorry for you.”

“The last thing I want is for people to feel sorry for me,” Minho said, a surge of confidence pushing his voice out. “I’ve never once in my life wanted pity from anyone. I… I’m strong, and smart and I don’t need validation from anyone else. I have people in my life that love me, and I love them. I don’t need you, and I never did. I never needed you, but you made me feel like I was nothing without you. But I’m not nothing.”

“Oh, now you’re cocky? Where was this fire when you were with me?” he taunted, grinning. “Maybe if you weren’t such a pushover, I would have kept you.”

“I’m not an object. You never had any right to keep me or treat me like your property.” Minho finally looked his ex in the eye. He felt his stomach fall through the floor, but he refused to look away.

“Hmm, I wouldn’t want you back even if you begged,” He said, taking a step back. He looked Minho from head to toe and smirked. “You’ve gained weight. It doesn’t suit you.”

“You-” Just as Minho was about to snap back, he heard his order called. He took a deep breath and went over to the counter.

“Here you are sir,” The girl said before frowning. “Is everything alright? Do we need to call security?”

“It’s just my ex,” He said, holding back tears. “I haven’t seen him since we broke up… it wasn’t a good relationship.”

“I see,” She glanced over his shoulder briefly before handing Minho his change and the bag with the tray. “Thank you, and have a nice rest of the day.”

“You too.” Minho sniffled, juggling the bags dangling from his arms. The drinks he got for Jisung were bound to be warm by the time he got back to the studio.

“Ah sorry sir, seems like there was a problem with your order,” he heard the worker say as he walked out. “It’s going to be a while longer before we can fix this.”

“Are you kidding me?” His ex said angrily, and Minho couldn’t help but snicker. He could tell she said that on purpose. He was going to have to leave a good review for her help. He wanted to text Jisung that he was on his way back, but his phone remained dead in his back pocket.

Minho all but ran back to the studio, trying to juggle the bags and not look insane as he did it. By the time he was in the elevator up to Jisung’s room, he was panting and sticky from sweat, but he knew seeing the look on Jisung’s face when his loving boyfriend walked in with armfuls of food would make it all worth it.

“Jisungie, I’m back-” Minho pushed open the door to see Jisung’s desk empty, the program running but the boy nowhere to be seen. With a frown, Minho put the bags down on the small futon in the corner. Just as he was about to go look for Jisung, he heard something move from under the desk. “Jisung?”

Minho pulled the chair away and saw his boyfriend curled into a ball, his shoulders shaking but his face hidden in his knees. He instantly pulled the boy out from under the desk and into his arms, holding him close as he felt Jisung cry.

“Why didn’t you answer?” Jisung sobbed, clinging onto Minho as if his life depended on it. Minho felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. Jisung had been having a panic attack, and when he tried to reach out to him, Minho wasn’t there for him.

“I’m so, so sorry Sunggie,” He whispered, holding Jisung closer. “I dropped my phone on the way to get the sushi. It’s completely shattered. Silly me, huh?” He pulled away just enough to look Jisung in the face.

“Hyung is so clumsy…” Jisung sniffled, his tears slowing some.

“Yeah, I am,” Minho kissed Jisung’s cheeks, trying to wipe away his sadness with love. “I got some food. Do you want to eat?”

Jisung didn’t verbally respond, but he nodded and crawled out of Minho’s lap. Minho started digging through the bags, handing Jisung a bottle of water to start with. Poor boy needed to rehydrate before putting anything else in his system.

“How much did you buy?” Jisung asked, looking equal parts impressed and horrified.

“I didn’t know what you’d be in the mood for, so I got everything,” Minho grinned as Jisung’s face lit up when he brought out the platter. “I figured anything you didn’t want, Chan hyung and Changbin would enjoy.”

“I love you hyung.”Jisung flew into Minho’s arms, hugging him tightly.

“I love you too baby.” Minho smiled warmly at the boy in his arms. He didn’t want to bother Jisung with what happened just yet. The younger was obviously stressed about the new deadline, and Minho just wanted to be there to support him.

Jisung tilted his head and kissed Minho. The elder could still taste the salt on his lips and just kissed his boyfriend harder. He was determined to make Jisung smile again before the night was over. Jisung slipped his arms around Minho’s shoulders, giving Minho perfect access to his waist. Minho pulled him closer, loving how perfectly Jisung seemed to fit in his arms - like the younger had been made specifically to be held by Minho.

Minho started kissing down Jisung’s neck, gently grazing the skin with his lips. He placed a solid kiss to Jisung’s throat, not hard enough to leave any mark, but enough to make Jisung’s breathing catch. Minho grinned against Jisung’s skin when he felt his boyfriend react so well. He let his fingers play with the hem of Jisung’s shirt as his mouth found the younger’s again. He didn’t try to take Jisung’s shirt off, but he enjoy the feeling of his hot skin against his fingertips. Just feeling Jisung’s warmth against him made Minho feel safe.

It was different with Jisung. He didn’t feel like he needed to prove something. He didn’t feel like he needed to give in and let go for his safety. He felt… happy. He felt actually safe and warm and wanted. When Jisung kissed him, Minho felt like he was the only one in the world. Jisung made him feel special and beautiful and it made Minho want to cry because he had never felt so accepted and truly loved like this before.

“As much as I would love to keep going, you need to eat,” Minho was the first to pull away. He smiled at the little whine that left Jisung’s red lips but resisted the urge to kiss him again. “Come on love, we have songs to finish.”

* * *

  
“Do you want to come back to my apartment?” Minho asked sleepily. It was almost noon, a whole twelve hours before the deadline, and he stayed up with Jisung the whole night while the younger worked.

“Mhmm…” Jisung hummed, entirely spent. He had emailed Chan the finished songs mere moments before. Even though he refused to let Minho hear the second song, the elder helped him work through the bumps in his solo, so Jisung didn’t have to put out a song he wasn’t completely proud of.

“Come on tiger, let’s get some sleep.” Minho bagged up what was left of the snacks - at some point Chan and Changbin had come in and picked through the pile like vultures - and heaved Jisung onto his back. The boy wasn’t that heavy, so Minho didn’t have any trouble carrying him back to the apartment.

“Where have you been-” Woojin was shushed quickly. Minho felt Jisung fall asleep halfway back, and he didn’t want his worried roommate to wake him up. He carefully placed Jisung on his own bed, tucking the boy in and making sure he was still asleep before going back into the living room.

“Where the hell-” Woojin started to ask, his voice low, when Minho cut him off.

“I saw him.” He said simply, the shock finally setting in.

“What?”

“Him- my ex,” Minho felt his eyes water. All the strength left his body and he fell to his knees. “Oh god, I saw him… I had to talk to him…”

“Wait when? Where? I swear I’ll kill that bastard.” Woojin growled, pulling Minho into a hug.

“At that sushi place you like, across town,” Minho said, trying to keep his cries as quiet as possible. “I- I went to get Jisung some food, cuz his- his deadline changed and he was there. He said- he said he moved back for work… Said he wanted to catch up, but blamed me for everything going- going bad… said I was too clingy and emotional… That it was all my fault- oh my god it really was all my fault, wasn’t it?”

“No, no, no Minho none of it was your fault,” Woojin tried to comfort the younger, but Minho felt like his life was falling apart. “Not one bit of that relationship was your fault. You did everything for that asshole, and how did he repay you? You did nothing wrong, Minho. It was all him. He was the one to take advantage of you. He was the one that hurt you, and he was the one to try and put the blame on you.”

“Why did I have to see him again?” Minho clawed at his face. Woojin instantly grabbed his friend’s wrists to stop him, but there were already red welts forming along Minho’s cheeks. “Why? He h-hurt me so badly! Why can’t he just GO AWAY?”

“Hyung?” Jisung’s voice called, but Minho was struggling against Woojin’s hold on his wrists, desperate tears gushing down his cheeks. “Minho!”

“Jisung, not now-”

“What happened?” Jisung gathered Minho in his arms. Woojin let go, seeing how Minho seemed to instantly relax into Jisung’s touch.

Minho couldn’t answer. He just cried into Jisung’s shoulder, mumbling something the younger couldn’t understand.

“He ran into his ex,” Woojin said softly, holding a bottle of water and some tissues for when Minho managed to calm down.

“What? When?” Jisung felt sick. He knew some of what his ex did to him, but he also knew the elder hadn’t told him everything.

“Yesterday apparently, when he went to get the sushi.” Woojin had a bad taste in the back of his mouth. He always promised Minho that he would be there if he ever ran into that asshole again, but he wasn’t there. He had failed his friend.

“Wait, but…” Jisung realized that would have been right in the middle of his panic attack. Minho never mentioned anything had happened. Never even hinted that something had gone wrong… “Oh hyung…”

He held Minho closer, wondering why the elder would hide this from him. He stopped wondering quickly. Of course Minho wouldn’t say anything to him… he found Jisung sobbing under his desk. Why would he bring up something like this when the younger was already freaking out.

Jisung placed a soft kiss on Minho’s head, feeling grateful that Minho thought so much about him but also guilty that Minho held this in.

“Apparently, that asshole moved back in the area.” Woojin said, his words dripping with venom.

“If I ever see him…” Jisung growled, his own eyes stinging.

“He isn’t going to get away with this, I swear.” Woojin said, placing a hand on Jisung’s back.

“Can you help me get hyung into his room?” Jisung asked. He could probably carry the elder, but at the angle he was holding Minho, Jisung was more likely to jab him in the ribs than carry him comfortably.

“Let’s get you both to bed.” Woojin smiled, all the anger gone from his voice. He helped Jisung carry Minho into the bedroom, tucking his roommate in tightly. Woojin knew Minho was going to have a massive headache when he woke up, but he also knew he was going to want to spend time with Jisung since the album was done - Chris had been stress calling him whenever he needed a distraction from his anxiety, so Woojin knew all about it.

Jisung watched Minho sleep with a heavy heart. The elder looked so peaceful, despite his eyes still being red and his cheeks still being tacky. Jisung ran his fingers down Minho’s cheek along the fading scratches, barely even touching him, in awe that this boy was his.

When he matched with Minho, he thought it was a mistake, that the elder would unmatch when he realized. Then, after an entire day of talking, he thought Minho would be playing a prank on him - why else would he be so interested in talking to Jisung?

When Jisung went to the cafe that day, part of him was hoping to run into Minho, but he knew the chances of that were so low that he shouldn’t even bother hoping. The moment Minho walked in, Jisung recognized him. How could he not? Minho was obviously upset, not noticing anything around him as he ordered his drink and sat heavily in a chair. Jisung was scared to approach him- what if it really was all a joke.

He supposed he should have thanked whoever bumped into him and pushed him towards the small table. The look on Minho’s face will always made Jisung smile, no matter how much time passes. The elder looked so genuinely star struck- the same way Jisung was feeling for him.

“Mhmm Jisungie,” Minho groaned, blindly sticking his arms out and pulling Jisung into a hug. “I’m sleepy…”

“Me too hyung,” Jisung grinned against Minho’s collarbone. He couldn’t help it. “Let’s get some sleep, then we can celebrate.”

“Yeah… celebrate.” Minho sniffled, getting comfortable again before falling back asleep. Jisung settled in and closed his eyes, feeling safe and warm and loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for disappearing! I was just... incredibly sad!  
> Anyway, I'm thinking maybe two more chapters? The pain plot that I wanted to use, I used, so now they're going to celebrate and maybe something else and a wrap up chapter? I could try to keep it going, but I always worry that my fics start to feel... stretched out if I make them too long, you know? Let me know what you think! And if you have any suggestions for this story, let me know!


	8. Chapter 8

“To us!” Chan cheered, lifting his shot in the air. It wasn’t a large party, but it was perfect in Minho’s opinion. It was Chan and Woojin, Minho and Jisung, Changbin and Felix, as well as Hyunjin, Seungmin and Jeongin- invited by Felix, who Changbin couldn’t say no to.

“To 3racha!” Everyone cheered and took their shot, even the younger boys - Chan said they could have one shot to celebrate, as if Minho didn’t know how often the younger two would sneak soju into their basements and get drunk on the weekends.

“So when does the album drop?” Minho asked, putting his empty shot glass on the table. Chan made a face at his own drink before turning to the younger.

“Honestly? I have no clue,” He said, rolling his eyes a little. “Sometime between tomorrow and Friday probably. They’re going to drop the digital version first, then put out hard copies in stores after.”

“Do you think this dumb stunt will actually bring us more attention?” Changbin asked, pouting and resting his head on Felix’s shoulder. He was still exhausted from their work-a-thon the day before. Unlike Minho and Jisung, Changbin didn’t really have the chance to nap before the celebrations.

“I hope so,” Chan frowned. “We’ve been trying to work up to a tour, but the last album didn’t do as well as we thought it would…”

“You guys are amazing,” Minho said, leaning against Jisung who was giggling at his boyfriend. Minho may or may not have helped himself to a few shots before the toast, but it was all in celebration. “I’ll f-fight anyone who doesn’t think so.”

“Are you already drunk hyung?” Jisung laughed.

“No! Not at all!” Minho tried to defend himself, but everyone could see the flush across his cheeks.

“Thank you hyung,” Jisung said, smiling softly as the elder grinned bright. “For staying up with me and making sure I ate and taking care of me… I love you.”

“Hmmm I love you more,” Minho nuzzled Jisung’s neck with his nose, grinning wider when he heard the younger giggle. “You’re so perfect Sunggie… you’re so talented and pretty and funny and- and I can’t believe I get to be the one to give you kisses and shit…”

“Here it comes.” Woojin snickered, watching his roommate get soft for Jisung in front of the entire group.

“Does he always get this way when he’s drunk?” Chris asked, resting his head against Woojin’s neck. It really did fit perfectly between Woojin’s shoulder and his chest, Chris realised early on into their new friendship.

“He gets so sappy when he’s drunk it’s not even funny.” Hyunjin grinned as Minho tried to kiss Jisung but missed and fell into the younger’s lap.

“Last time he got drunk with us, he started crying because we were, and I quote, such handsome young men,” Jeongin smirked at the memory. “He managed to calm down for a minute before crying again because he said he wasn’t going to be able to protect us from the scary world.”

“Wasn’t that the time he tried to call the police because Jeongin stubbed his toe?” Seungmin chimed in.

“What did he think the police would do?” Woojin asked, amused.

“Arrest the table.” Jeongin said, face blank. A moment passed in silence before the entire room burst into laughter.

While they were bringing up stories that would definitely end up as blackmail eventually, no one noticed two members of their party slip away.

“Hyung, don’t you think they’ll know we’re gone?” Jisung asked but didn’t try to stop. He didn’t know where Minho was pulling him, but his head was fuzzy from the soju and from the excitement of finishing the album.

“Who cares?” Minho pulled Jisung to the side and kissed him sloppily. “I want you all to myself.”

“Drunk Minho hyung is cute.” Jisung couldn’t help but grin as the elder nuzzled his cheeks and kissed all over the younger’s face as if Jisung was about to disappear.

“Every Jisung is cute,” Minho gushed, taking Jisung’s cheeks in his hands. “Happy Jisung and sad Jisung and silly Jisung and sleepy Jisung. They’re all cute. Why are you so cute? It’s not fair that you’re so damn cute all the time. That- that has to be illegal-”

“Shut up and kiss me hyung.” Jisung interrupted him, embarrassed. He wasn’t used to such constant praise.

“Hmm gladly.” Minho leaned in and took Jisung’s lips, trying not to smash their front teeth together when he lost his balance.

Jisung felt his heart soar. Even drunk, Minho held him so carefully, as is Jisung was something precious he was afraid to break. Jisung took over the kiss, biting Minho’s lip cheekily and using his tongue when the elder opened his mouth in shock.

He ran his hand along Minho’s chest, feeling lighting shoot through his fingers. He tugged at Minho’s shirt, not caring that they were drunk in the middle of a hallway. Jisung couldn’t hold back a disappointed whine when Minho pulled away.

“My beautiful Jisunggie,” Minho breathed, his words fanning against Jisung’s mouth. “Not tonight, baby boy. I’m… I don’t want our first time to be- be when we aren’t sober. I wanna- wanna be able to take care of you right.”

“Hyung…” Jisung felt tears sting his eyes. Minho surged in and pulled Jisung into a tight hug, pressing the younger’s head in close with one hand and wrapping the other around his waist. Jisung held onto Minho just as tightly, as if nothing else mattered other than the boy in his arms.

“I don’t wanna walk all the way back to the apartment.” Minho whined, and Jisung couldn’t help but shake his head and smile.

“We can go to the dorm,” Jisung offered, placing soft kisses to the corner of his mouth. “It’s closer, and you’ve never stayed over in my room before.”

“I haven’t…” Minho pouted, his cheeks flushing even more.

“Come on hyung, let’s go to bed.” Jisung grinned and Minho thought he was seeing an angel, right in front of him.

“You know…” Minho slurred a little as they started walking towards the dorms. “I was real scared of you…”

“Of me?” Jisung asked, surprised. He was used to people saying how cute and little he was. Scaring others was something that didn’t happen.

“I was scared that… that I was gonna hurt you,” Minho said, leaning heavily on the younger. “But also- that you were gonna hurt me. I was ‘fraid to be- to be vulnerable cuz- cuz that’s when I get hurt… but you never- never hurt me.”

“I would never hurt you hyung.” Jisung promised, kissing Minho’s cheek as they walked.

“I’m so lucky I met you,” Minho blubbered, sounding close to tears. “You’re so nice to me and love me and- and…”

“It’s okay hyung,” Jisung readjusted Minho with a smile. “I’ll always take care of you.”

Minho opened his mouth to say something else, but sniffled and let his head lean against Jisung’s instead. The rest of the walk to the dorms was silent, save for the sound of small kisses being placed on Minho as he and Jisung went.

“Do you want to change hyung?” Jisung asked once they were safely inside his room.

“Hmmm wanna sleep.” Minho said, flopping down on the bed and curling up with one of Jisung’s pillows. As much as Jisung wanted to join him that instant, he pulled out his phone to tell Chan they were safely at home, before snapping some pictures of the elder. He knew Minho wouldn’t be too happy with such unflattering pictures on his phone, but Jisung thought he looked absolutely adorable, and was going to save them for as long as he lived.

Jisung changed his pants and climbed into bed with Minho, smiling as the elder’s arms instantly came to hold him. Even when he was asleep, Minho still wanted Jisung close to him. Jisung felt his eyes slip shut as he moved closer to Minho, the elder’s warmth covering him in a blanket of comfort.

* * *

  
“Are you sure it’s okay?” Minho asked, feeling nervous for some reason. The album had dropped at 3:33am, while everyone was asleep. Minho instantly bought and downloaded all the songs onto his phone while he waited for Jisung to wake up.

“I said you could hear it when the album dropped,” Jisung said, blushing and looking away. He was almost scared to see Minho’s reaction to his song. He had put his heart and soul into it, but he was worried that Minho wouldn’t like it - or worse, thing Jisung was crazy because of it.

Minho played the song aloud, grinning and nodding his head along with the intro. It was obviously written by Jisung - the boy’s signature string and brass instruments blending perfectly with the strong bassy backing. When Jisung started rapping, Minho felt the smile fall from his face.

_A superlike, a match made in heaven,_   
_I look at you and wonder who I was before._   
_You smile like the sun, a whole damn universe,_   
_And yet there’s pain behind your eyes._

_He hurt you, that much I know._   
_Your smile faded when you told me,_   
_And the fire building in me raged._   
_I promised then and there_   
_That no one would ever hurt you again._   
_I’d fight a thousand fights,_   
_Win a thousand wars,_   
_If I knew I could come home to you._   
_I’d bet everything I own,_   
_To keep you safe._

_He hurt you, that much I know._   
_You cried when you told me,_   
_And the rage in me grew._   
_You, with your laugh that tamed beasts,_   
_And your love that calmed storms._

_He hurt you, that much I know._   
_You smiled when I promised you_   
_That no one would hurt you again._   
_Now that you’re mine,_   
_You’re free._

Minho felt tears running down his cheeks, but he just stared at Jisung in wonder. The rapper had been staring at his hands since the song started, unable to bring himself to look up and see his boyfriend - unable to bring himself to see what Minho’s reaction to the confession was. Jisung knew it was risky, so soon in their relationship and even more so after everything Minho had been through, but he had to let the elder know what he felt.

“Jisung…”

“I’m sorry, if it’s too much,” Jisung felt close to tears. “I just-”

His excuse was cut off by Minho’s arms being thrown around him, tackling him to the ground. He was stunned for a moment before he realized Minho was sobbing into his shoulder, holding onto him as if he would disappear.

“Thanks you,” Minho cried. “Thank you Jisung… I love you so much.”

“I love you too hyung,” Jisung said, his heart swelling. He kissed Minho’s forehead gently. “You deserve the best. You only deserve amazing things.”

“I guess that’s why I have you then.” Minho sniffled, pulling away so Jisung could see his bright grin.

“Guess so.” Jisung laughed, rubbing their noses together gently.

“Can we just… stay like this for a little bit?” Minho asked, curling into Jisung’s arms.

“For as long as you want.” Jisung kissed his tears away - a silent promise to always be there for the elder.

* * *

 

“Are you ready to go on?” Minho asked Jisung, dusting off his clean shoulders and straightening his already perfect collar. Jisung let Minho fuss, knowing that was how the elder showed he cared when he was nervous.

Jisung thought it was cute, how Minho was nervous for the show but he wasn’t. He didn’t really get nervous for shows anymore. He had been doing this for so long that it was like second nature at that point. Sure, he felt a little anxious right before they started, when he could hear the fans already cheering and singing along to the music playing before the concert, but the performing itself? It was like a drug. He couldn’t get enough of the adrenaline that coursed through him when he stepped on the stage

“I’m ready hyung,” Jisung said with a smile, taking Minho’s hands in his own to stop the elder’s fussing. “Thank you, for being here with me.”

“How could I miss your comeback stage?” Minho asked incredulously.

“I love you.” Jisung smiled, his heart leaping at the fact that he could say that. Minho’s face melted and he smiled softly.

“I love you too,” He leaned in and gave the younger a gentle kiss. “You’re going to do amazing. I know you are.”

“Five minutes!” A staff member walking past called out to the three rappers and their backup dancers.

“We still on for after?” Jisung asked.

“I promised I’d buy everyone a round to celebrate,” Minho grinned. “You better believe I’m going to deliver.”

“I have to go-” Jisung said, looking towards the stage but not making any move to leave the elder.

“Go! I’ll see you after the show!” Minho laughed as Jisung gave him a hasty kiss before rushing away towards where the others were waiting. As the three got last minutes checks done, Minho went to stand with Felix, who was waving to Changbin as they were about to go on stage.

The concert was amazing, as Minho knew it was going to be. He was able to watch from the wings, mouthing along to the raps and smiling at Jisung any time the younger glanced over to him. He had been to a 3racha concert before, years ago when they were just getting their footing. It was impossible to get tickets now, but Minho didn’t have to worry about tickets anymore. He had the best seat possible.

It was almost like they had even more energy than usual while they were on stage. The three gave it their all, singing their hearts out as if it was the last time they would ever get the chance to perform again. Minho found himself tearing up when Jisung started singing his song - the song he wrote for Minho specifically. When Jisung looked over and held eye contact with him, Minho couldn’t bring himself to scold the younger, or tell him to look at his audience, who were watching him.

By the end of the song, Jisung had turned his body fully to face the wings, singing directly to Minho. It had hit him hard when he heard the recording, but seeing his boyfriend sing it for him live, in front of thousands of people, was someone even more intimate. Even though it was a sold out show, it was as if it were just the two of them in the whole world.

The concert ended with just as much energy as it started. Minho could see how exhausted the three were, but they were glowing with pride and love for their fans, and for themselves. They did their final bows and rushed off stage, huffing and puffing as soon as their mics were taken.

“I think I’m dying…” Jisung panted as Minho held him up.

“This is the end…” Changbin chimed in, laying down on the ground, his soaked shirt leaving a wet spot on the wood when he moved. Felix crouched by his boyfriend and handed him a cold water, which the rapper placed against his neck.

“We did it,” Chan grinned, looking just as exhausted but somehow still excited. “We sold out a concert. Our sales are already doubled from the last album. I heard the manager saying something about getting our passports together… I think we might be getting a tour soon!”

“You’re shitting me!” Jisung perked up, instantly jumping around in excitement. “A real world tour?”

“That’s… we really did it…” Changbin trailed off, his eyes filling.

“We did.” Chan said, laughing through a sob. He gathered the two younger boys in a group hug, crying and laughing. They finally made it.

“Where’s security?” Someone called as they ran past. The three stepped apart, still too out of breath to be able to call out to anyone.

“What’s going on?” Minho managed to catch someone rushing past.

“Someone was waiting out back,” They said, looking scared. “They attacked some of the dancers. The ambulance is on it’s way, but the person got away.”

“Oh shit…” Minho let his hand drop, the weight of the situation falling on them. Minho looked from Jisung, who had paled, to Chan, who was gritting his teeth in anger. Who could have done this?

Why? Questions were flying through Minho’s head, but all of them stopped when a large security guard approached them, saying he was there to make sure everyone made it to the vans safely.  
It didn’t matter who did it, or why. Not at that moment. All that mattered is that Jisung and the others made it to the hotel in one piece.

No one was going to hurt his Jisung.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say the angst was over? Whoops!!  
> Thank you everyone for being so patient with my weird upload schedule. I try to keep it regular, but shit happens haha  
> Who could have attacked the dancers? What's going to happen now??


	9. Chapter 9

The ride to the hotel was silent. No one knew what to say. All thought of celebrating was gone. The three members of 3racha sat next to their respective partners, the same thought running through all of their minds.

What if it had been them?

What if they had walked out before their dancers?

What if they were the ones that were hurt?

“It’s okay Sunggie,” Minho whispered, pulling the trembling boy in closer. “You’re safe.”

“Okay, thank you,” Their manager said from the front seat, taking the phone from his ear and hanging up. He turned his upper body to look at the six boys in the van.

“Thankfully he wasn’t hurt too badly, just some bruising and a sprained ankle. Bad news, the guy who did this got away, and now our dancer won’t be able to perform for at least a month.”

“Who cares about that?” Chan snapped. “One of our staff is hurt. That’s what we should be caring about right now. Not the guy, not the concerts. Our friend.”

“I know you’re upset-”

“You think?” Chan cut him off, his voice quivering. “What- what if we had gone out a little earlier, huh? Whoever it was…. He was obviously waiting for us. The only reason our friend got away with almost no injuries is because he wasn’t who the guy was after!”

“Chan, you need to calm down,” Their manager said sternly. “I know you’re worried about your friends, but you’re the leader. You can’t let your emotions take control. They need you to be level headed.”

“You can’t really expect him to be calm after what just happened,” Minho snapped, glaring at the man. “They were just targeted-”

“You’re only here because you’re close to Jisung,” the man cut him off, his tone much colder than before. “You have no place to speak against me.”

“Listen-” Minho was about to get angry when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked over and saw Jisung - eyes wide and glassy - looking at, as if asking the elder to calm down. Minho scoffed at the manager and sat back again, letting Jisung bury his face in his chest. “It’s okay baby. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Woojin watched his friends, feeling helpless. He could feel Chan breaking down but trying to stay strong. Changbin was consoling a crying Felix, and Minho looked a shade below murderous, and there was nothing Woojin could do for any of them.

He felt something tug at his hand and looked over to see Chan trying to get his attention. All it took was Woojin pulling Chan close for the younger to release what he was holding in. He still tried to keep quiet, but Woojin could feel the tears soaking into his jacket as sobs wracked the rapper’s body.

The rest of the ride was silent. Their manager instructed the driver to pull around back, where the kitchens received deliveries. The boys were hurried through the hallways, ignoring the confused looks of the employees. They didn’t take the elevator, in case someone got on after them and had them trapped. Their manager went up the stairs first, while Woojin and Minho volunteered to follow behind.

For the first time, the boys were given their own rooms. Four rooms were rented for the night, with connecting doors between the first two and second two. Their manager ushered them into their assigned rooms and instructed them not to leave or open to the door for anyone. Felix, Changbin, Woojin and Chan were lucky enough to get one set of rooms, while Minho and Jisung were connected to the manager’s room.

“What are we going to do?” Jisung asked, sitting on the bed with his legs curled up to his chest.

“Don’t worry Sunggie,” Minho sat next to him, letting his weight on the mattress pull Jisung closer to him. “No matter what happens, I’m going to be here to protect you.”

“I’m scared hyung.” Jisung said, letting tears fall again. Minho felt rage build in his chest. Whoever made his Jisung cry… whoever made Jisung afraid- he was going to pay for every tear that the boy shed.

“I know love, but you’re safe now,” Minho said softly, trying to stop the flow of tears. “I’m here, yeah? It’s just you and me and a whole hotel room to ourselves.”

“We’re technically sharing with manager hyung.” Jisung sniffled, pointing to the door with his chin. Minho grinned and got up. He closed the connecting door and locked it before turning back to his boyfriend.

“Now, as I was saying,” he pushed Jisung down on the bed and hovered over him with a glint in his eye. “We’re all alone, just the two of us in this big ol’ hotel room… what could we possibly do…?” He let his one hand trail up over Jisung’s head so their faces were nearly touching. He could see the blush forming on Jisung’s cheeks, could see how wide the younger’s eyes had gotten.

“H-hyung-” Jisung breathed, tilting his head up to connect their lips. Just before he could kiss Minho, however, the elder sat up quickly. He smacked Jisung with the pillow he had grabbed, almost knocking the boy off the bed entirely.

“Better grab something Sunggie!” Minho yelled as he swung again. Jisung blinked, realizing the peril he was in and quickly snagged a pillow of his own. He dodged a strike, rolling across the worn carpet like a spy. He quickly jumped to his feet and used his own counter attack, smacking Minho square in the face with the pillow. Minho stumbled back, only to spin behind Jisung and smack the back of the younger’s knees, knocking Jisung to the ground. He placed one socked foot on Jisung’s stomach and squished his pillow like he was cocking a gun, grinning down at his boyfriend.

“Any last words?” He asked, winding the pillow back behind his head.

“Yeah! Can I have a kiss before you end me, please?” Jisung asked, widening his eyes in the way he knew made Minho melt inside. The elder hesitated for just a second before kneeling down, one knee on either side of Jisung’s hips, and placing a light kiss on the younger boy’s mouth. He grinned as he started to pull away, just to scream when he felt Jisung smack the back of his head with a sneak attack. Minho lost his balance and fell on stop of Jisung, who used the opportunity to switch their positions so he was straddling the elder.

“Looks like you got me.” Minho grinned, slightly out of breath. He went to tuck a stray piece of hair behind Jisung’s ear, only to find the younger pinning his arms above his head.

“I’m the winner hyung,” He grinned, his cheeks flushed from laughing and jumped around the room. “And I want my prize.”

“Well, what prize could my baby boy possibly want?” Minho felt his heartbeat quicken. He couldn’t remember the last time Jisung looked so… in control in a situation like this.

Normally, the rapper was more than happy to let Minho lead, loving how safe and taken care of the elder made him feel. Now, their positions were switched.

“I want you hyung.” Jisung whispered as he leaned down and connected their lips, but there was none of the playful innocence from the kiss before. Minho could feel Jisung tighten his hold on his wrists, but not in a painful way. Even when he was taking over, Jisung was still careful not to hurt him.

“Take me then.” Minho grinned into the kiss, letting the challenge hang in the air for a moment. Jisung stared down at him, almost in shock, before hungrily taking his lips again. This time, Minho didn’t try to fight for dominance. He let Jisung take control, enjoying the deep growls that seemed to radiate from his boyfriend. He had never seen this side of Jisung before, and he was excited to find out more. He let his hips roll, grinding against Jisung’s in a way that sent sparks through his body.

“Jisung? Why is the door locked?” Their manager knocked on the door separating their rooms and Minho was so close to telling the man to fuck off and let them enjoy their evening. Before he could snap, Jisung kissed him one last time before crawling off and unlocking the door.

“Sorry hyung,” he said, sounding completely normal - as he if he hadn’t been about to take Minho right there on the hotel floor. “I heard voices in the hall and got scared… I knew they couldn’t come in through your room but Minho hyung locked the door to make me feel safer.”

“Oh-” The man had not been expecting that answer. He looked around, taking in the messy beds and how flushed they looked with a raised eyebrow. “You seemed to have been having fun.”

“Minho hyung started a pillow fight,” Jisung giggled, sounding way too innocent. Minho stared at him in shock. “He was trying to get my mind off what happened before.”

“Oh… okay,” The man seemed almost ashamed that he tried to call them out, which Minho found almost laughable seeing how the two had been positioned just moments before. “Well, I came back because I wanted to get your food order.”

“Can’t we just do room service like usual?” Jisung asked, tilting his head a little.

“After what happened… I’d be more comfortable if I was the one to buy and bring your food to you, at least for tonight.” He trailed off, and Minho could see Jisung’s face pale at the implications.

“You don’t think…” he trailed off, looking between the manager and Minho. All mirth was gone from his face. Jisung was scared again. Would someone really try to mess with their food?

“No, of course not,” The manager said quickly, trying to comfort the boy. “Just like Minho locking the door. It’ll make me feel better.”

“Oh, okay…” Jisung relaxed a little, but Minho could still see the concerned lines in his forehead.

“Here, let’s tell hyung what we want and we can see if there’s a movie on TV.” Minho said, standing behind Jisung and wrapping his arms around the smaller boy, who nodded and leaned into his touch.

They quickly told the man what they wanted and went to turn on the television when he called Minho back over to him. Minho walked over, confused. What would Jisung’s manager want with him?

“Look,” He said quietly, an amused look in his eyes. “I don’t know you that well, but Jisung trusts you, and Chan trusts you. It’s hard to get both of them to open up, so I’m going to assume that means you’re a good kid. Tonight, you and Jisung can… do whatever you want, as long as I can’t hear it, understand?” He looked at Minho, a faint red hue to his cheeks. Minho stared at him, trying to comprehend what he had said.

“Uh, y-yeah of course,” He stuttered in shock. “Yeah…”

“And take care of him, okay? He’s… he’s a good kid,” He continued, looking almost sad. “He’s been through so much, and the last thing he needs is to have his heart broken” At that Minho felt his courage return.

“I’d never let anything hurt him,” He said seriously, looking the man square in the eye. “I’ll protect him no matter what.”

“That’s what I thought you’d say,” He smiled and clapped Minho on the shoulder. “Now, I have to get going before the restaurant closes. Keep the doors locked and your phones on, just in case.”

“Will do.” Minho nodded and let the manager walk past him. He turned and went back to Jisung, who looked at him questioningly.

“What did hyung want?” he asked, curling into Minho’s arms. Minho blinked, still reeling from the conversation.

“Well… he said we could fuck as long as he couldn't hear us.” He said, his voice up an octave in shock. Jisung sat up quickly, almost slamming the top of his head into the underside of Minho’s chin.

“What?” He screeched, scandalized.

“He said, and I quote, ‘Do whatever you want as long as I can’t hear’ and looked like he wanted to disappear, which I took to mean sleeping together.” Minho grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at Jisung, who covered his blush with his hands.

“We can’t… can we?” He whispered, looking at Minho with wide eyes.

“It’s up to you love,” Minho let the joking tone fade from his voice. “If you think you’re ready and want to-”

“I do!” Jisung cut him off before blushing even redder and squeaking out an apology.

“We’re going to have to be quiet,” Minho warned, running his thumb across Jisung’s knee in a comforting manner. “Remember, he’s there and Woojin hyung and Chan hyung are on the other side of this wall.”

“Well, we’ll never really be alone, unless Woojin hyung leaves the apartment for the night.” Jisung pointed out as he got control of his blush.

“And you know how often that happens,” Minho snickered, knowing how much of a homebody Woojin tended to be. “Seriously Jisung, we don’t have to go all the way tonight. We can do it whenever you’re ready.”

“I want to, I’m just… nervous.” Jisung looked away, embarrassed.

“There’s nothing to be nervous about,” Minho smiled softly. “I remember my first time-”

“It wouldn’t be my first time,” Jisung cut him off, looking at Minho fully for the first time since his manager left. “I’m nervous because I don’t want to hurt you. I know your ex… didn’t treat you well during sex, and that’s when you’re most emotionally vulnerable. I’m nervous because I want to take care of you and I’m scared I’ll do something wrong and hurt you.”

“Jisung…” Minho felt his eyes fill. He never expected that was the reason Jisung seemed hesitant to sleep with him. His chest felt strangely tight as Jisung wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into an embrace.

“I only want to love you Minho,” Jisung whispered, feeling Minho shake with the effort of not crying. “I never, ever want to hurt you.”

“I love you…” Minho whispered, feeling like he was going to explode.

“I love you too hyung.” Jisung kissed him carefully, as if he knew Minho was a minefield about to be set off. He kissed Minho with all the love he could muster. He kissed Minho so the elder knew he wasn’t kidding, or exaggerating how much he loved him. He kissed Minho, and Minho could feel every ounce of love pouring from the younger boy.

Tomorrow, they would go to the hospital and talk to the dancer that had been attacked. Tomorrow they would most likely end up talking to the police in an attempt to find the guy who did this.

Tomorrow, they were going to face some harsh realities, but for now they sat on the hotel bed, wrapped in each other’s love as if tomorrow would never come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, a whole chapter that's just one scene? No scene breaks? Who wrote this? Obviously not Keira cuz that bitch breaks up her chapters like there's no tomorrow!  
> Anyway this chapter was a lot of fun to write. IDK how I'm going to write the sex scene because I don't want it to be graphic but at the same time I feel like it'll be important to show Minho's recovery from his last relationship, you know? Maybe I'll have it be vague? What do you guys think?


	10. Chapter 10

Minho held Jisung’s hand tightly. Neither knew what was going to happen once they got to the hospital. The manager said they were going to visit the dancer, who was going to discharged later that afternoon, and talk to the officer that took the report in case any of them had any clue who might have done it.

The ride to the hospital was silent, no one saying a word. Instead, they were all focusing on comforting and taking comfort from their other half. Their phones were all put on silent - the news had gotten out sooner than expected and all their social media had been blowing up with concerned fans and articles being posted.

“Remember, stick together,” The manager said, looking exhausted. “No one goes off alone for any reason, understand?”

“Yes hyung.” The boys said at once, all taking a step closer to their partner.

“Nothing is going to hurt you.” Minho whispered to Jisung, who clung to his arm.

“I have a bad feeling…” Jisung said, looking around as if someone was about to charge at them right in the lobby of the hospital.

“I’m here,” Minho gave the boy’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “Nothing bad can happen to you when you’re with me.”

“He’s in room 215,” The nurse said, handing the manager a small stack of visitor passes. “Right down the hall and to your right.”

They thanked her and walked down the hall with a feeling of doom pressing down on them. They found room 215 and knocked lightly, waiting to hear a call from inside before opening the door and letting themselves in. It was an individual room, courtesy of the company, with the boy sitting up in the bed. He was playing a game on his phone but put it down with a grin when they walked in.

“Ah, Soonyoung,” Chan walked right up to the boy. Minho recognized him from around the company building, but he never really had the chance to talk to him. “How are you feeling?”

“Th-they never said it was Soonyoung hyung…” Jisung whispered, his eyes turning glassy.

“He’s okay.” Minho said quietly as Soonyoung stood. He seemed fine, other than the brace around his ankle.

“I feel great!” He grinned, his cheeks puffing up. “I was lucky Jun noticed what was happening and scared the guy off.”

“Was anyone else hurt?” Chan asked, gesturing for Soonyoung to sit down.

“No, just me,” Soonyoung said easily. “Though my pride is hurt more than my foot.”

“Did you talk to the police yet?” The manager asked gently.

“Nah, they were supposed to come earlier but something came up,” Soonyoung said, kicking his legs a little. “I figured I could go with you guys. Kill two birds with one stone and all that.”

“Glad to see you didn’t lose your optimism.” Chan smiled and clapped the dancer on the back.

“Never.” Soonyoung grinned back. Minho felt Jisung relax a little and felt himself smile at his boyfriend.

“See, everything is okay.” he nudged Jisung’s cheek with his nose. Jisung smiled and leaned against Minho’s side.

“I don’t know why I was so worried,” Jisung said, the tension gone from his voice. “I guess I was just scared…”

“And you have every right to feel scared love,” Minho said, pulling Jisung closer. “You went through something scary. What you’re feeling is completely understandable. But nothing is going to hurt you, ever. You have me, and Chan hyung and Woojin hyung and Changbin, though he’s tiny… he can intimidating when he tries to be.”

“Yeah, he’s like a small guard dog.” Jisung giggled, and Minho somehow felt himself fall even deeper in love.

“Yo, talk shit get hit.” Changbin spun around, puffing his chest out as if that was going to scare Minho.

“I’d like to see you try, shorty.” Minho grinned and the room was filled with laughter. The nurse came in, confused about what was so funny but didn’t question anything. She went over to Soonyoung with an envelope.

“In here is everything you need to know about aftercare,” She said, pulling the IV from his hand and putting a bandage over it. “If you have any questions, we’re here until eight most nights, sometimes a little later. Don’t over do anything and give yourself some time to heal.”

“Thank you noona.” Soonyoung grinned and hopped off the bed. He almost lost his balance and Chan barely had time to catch him before he became acquainted with the floor.

“Be careful.” Chan scolded lightly as Soonyoung rubbed the back of his head with an apology.

“Can we stop to eat on the way to the station?” Jisung asked, tugging on the manager’s sleeve. “We didn’t get breakfast and this is probably going to take forever…”

“Anyone else want lunch?” He asked, looking around. The seven boys all nodded their head, just then realizing how hungry they were. "Alright, we can stop on the way.”

The small hoard of boy cheered loudly, startling the passing nurse. They filed down to the van, smiling and joking. Woojin picked Soonyoung up and was carrying him on his back, the dancer grinning and pointing the way.

They went through the drive through, their manager not wanting to herd seven boys in a fast food restaurant - especially when half of them were fairly famous.

“Jisung, you have sauce on your face.” Minho grinned as he used his thumb to wipe the boy’s face clean. Without thinking, he stuck his thumb in his mouth. It was only when Woojin reached over and smacked the back of his head that Minho had the decency to blush. Jisung stared at Minho with wide eyes, and without blinking he smeared more sauce on his mouth. Minho watched his boyfriend in shock, unable to think anything remotely innocent as Jisung looked at him with those wide, challenging eyes. Jisung smiled as if he wasn’t doing anything wrong, but everyone could see the hungry look he was giving his boyfriend.

Thankfully, before Jisung could jump Minho then and there, they pulled up to the police station. They filed out of the van, full from lunch and teasing Jisung. Their manager held the door open as they walked in, drawing the attention of some of the officers in the lobby.

“We’re here to talk about the attack that happened yesterday?” The manager said. The officer closest to them nodded and gestured for them to follow.

“Someone will be right in to take a statement,” She said, opening the door to one of the offices. “If you need anything, let one of us know.”

“Thank you.” He smiled and bowed before ushering everyone inside. It was a little cramped, and as soon as the door closed behind them Jisung frowned. He hadn’t realized how badly he needed to use to bathroom until he had stood up, but now he was eyeing the door like he was the criminal.

“What’s wrong?” Chan asked the youngest, who looked over at his leader almost shocked that the elder noticed.

“I have to go to the bathroom but I don’t want to leave because I know the officer will be in soon.” Jisung admitted, frowning.

“Go quickly,” Chan said. “You definitely have a few minutes.”

“I’ll go with you Sunggie.” Minho smiled and opened the door again. The two slipped out and walked up to an officer who was going past. He pointed them towards the bathroom with a smile and entered the room they just left.

“Good afternoon,” he said with a smile. “My name is Officer Park and I’m here to take your report. Now, who was the one who witnessed the attack?”

“It was me sir.” Soonyoung said, raising his hand.

“Could you tell me what happened, with as much detail as possible?” He asked, pulling out a tape recorder and a notepad.

“Well, the concert had just ended,” Soonyoung started, fidgeting in his seat. “The other backup dancers and I were heading out, cuz we had a bunch of extra time to pack up. Our last song was before their goodbyes and stuff, so by the time they got off stage we were all ready to go. Anyway, we were talking about going out to dinner, because we had been at the venue for few hours and we were hungry. Junhui was telling us about this dumpling place he knew about when I saw something out of the corner of my eye, like a shadow. I turned and felt myself being being slammed against the wall. I tried to twist away, like I was always told to do when someone grabs me, but he pushed me at the same time so I ended up going down and twisting my ankle really badly. Jun managed to throw him off me and he just… growled and ran away.”

“Were you able to see his face?”

“Yeah, real quickly.” Soonyoung said. He started describing the man as the officer started sketching. As he drew, Soonyoung had him change things to make it as realistic as possible.

“Wait…” Woojin felt his blood run cold. He pulled out his phone and typed in a name that just seeing written sent rage coursing through his veins. “Is… is this him?” He turned the phone to show Soonyoung, who jumped and pointed at the screen.

“That’s him! How did you know? Oh my god!” He said in shock, taking the phone from Woojin and showing the officer, who blanched.

“You must be confused.” he said, shaking his head and trying to hand the phone back.

“No, that’s definitely him.” Soonyoung said, frowning and handing Woojin his phone back.

“No, he’s an officer here-”

“Oh fuck.” Woojin breathed as he sprinted from the room. He heard Chan call after him, but there was only one thought on his mind - finding Minho before  _he_  does.

* * *

  
Jisung and Minho walked quickly, wanting to get back as fast as they could.

There was only one bathroom, so Minho had to wait outside for Jisung. He felt… almost weird about waiting alone, but he was in the police station. What could possibly happen to him there? It was probably the safest place he could be. Jisung slipped out and just as they were about to head back, Minho realized he also had to pee.

“Jisung, hold on,” He said, catching his arm. “I’ll be real quick.”

He went quickly, washing his hands and going to dry them. As he was grabbing a paper towel, he heard Jisung talked to someone, but he couldn't hear the other person.

“Oh sorry, it’s occupied,” Jisung said. Minho couldn’t hear the response, but he heard the younger go “Ah, one of my friends got hurt last night so we’re here to file a report.” Minho turned off the light and pushed open the door, instantly going to Jisung’s side and slipping his hand in the younger’s.

“Ready to head back?” he asked, the feeling is discomfort disappearing as soon as he felt Jisung’s fingers in his.

“Yeah, excuse us-” Jisung said to whoever was waiting for the bathroom.

“Minho?” The person said, sounding shocked. Minho looked over and felt every cell in his body stop. Of course. Of course it was HIM.

“Hyung, are you okay? You look kinda pale…” Jisung said, tugging Minho away from the restroom.

Minho wanted to be strong, but the fact that his ex was in front of him while Jisung was behind him made him freeze.

“I didn’t think policing was something you could do,” Minho said softly, feeling his lunch sit in his stomach like a rock. “If I remember, you’re the one that always broke the law. Now you’re the one keeping it?”

“I’m a different person,” His ex said, looking panicked. He adjusted his uniform, the sleeves hugging his toned arms. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand…”

“Hyung… is this him?” Jisung whispered, looking up at the officer with wide eyes. Minho fought the urge to cover Jisung’s eyes - he didn’t want Jisung to see what kind of person he let hurt him so badly.

“Let’s just go.” Minho said, trying to tug Jisung away, but the boy stood his ground.

“No, there’s something I want to say,” Jisung said, turning to the man but never letting go of Minho’s hand. “You… you’re an asshole, you know that right? You… you hurt one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. You somehow looked at- at an angel and still had the nerve to ruin him. You’re a sick, twisted person.”

“You’re talking to an officer kid-”

“I don’t care,” Jisung cut him off, looking furious. “I don’t care if you’re an officer, or my boss or the fucking president. You… I could never, ever have any ounce of respect for anyone that made Minho hyung cry like that.”

“You’re on thin ice kid.” He growled, reaching for something at his belt. Minho reacted, pulling Jisung behind him in the blink of an eye. By the time the gun had been unholstered, Minho had completely shielded Jisung, who was too shocked to know what was happening. Minho glanced at the barrel of the gun that was pointed at his chest, to his ex who looked ready to fire at any moment.

“MINHO!” Woojin screamed as he tore around the corner. Minho’s ex whipped around and aimed the gun at Woojin, who’s only focus seemed to be his friend.

“Woojin no!” Chan screamed, trying to catch up with the elder. Woojin ignored him and slammed Minho out of the way, causing both him and Jisung to fall to the ground.

“Nobody move!” Officer Park yelled, pulling out his own gun. The room froze, including the officers that had started to come over to see what the trouble was. “Son, put your gun down.”

“I want them arrested,” He said, pointing his gun at Minho and Jisung. Minho scrambled to cover Jisung, and could feel the younger shaking beneath him. He always had a feeling he was going to die by the hands of his ex, but if it was to save Jisung… Minho was more than ready for it. “They disrespected me. I want them in cuffs.”

“Over my dead body.” Woojin growled, and for the first time Minho felt afraid of his best friend.

“The only one getting arrested is you,” Officer Park said, nodding for another officer to cuff the man, who just stared at the man in shock. “You are under arrest for assault and attempted bodily harm.”

“Why?” Minho asked, feeling as though he had just run a marathon. His ex stared at him as if he was the crazy one.

“Why? Because you ruined my life!” He screamed, fighting against the cuffs. Minho shrank back, but the other officers made sure to keep a tight hold on him.

“Don’t worry son,” Officer Park said, helping Minho and Jisung stand. “He won’t be getting anywhere near you for a long, long time.”

“What’s going to happen now?” Woojin asked, putting a protective hand on Minho’s shoulder.

“Well, we’re going to question him, and if you want to press charges we’ll go through the court system for that.”

“I don’t think I want to press charges.” Minho said, sounding shaken.

“Well, we’ll show you the tapes of his interrogation and you can decide then, okay?” Officer Park said, walking the boys back to the room where their manager, Changbin and Felix were still sitting, not sure of what just happened.

“Oh thank god you guys are okay,” The manager rushed over, patting Jisung down to double check that the younger was safe. “What happened?”

“They got him,” Minho said, feeling like he was floating. “He’s… he won’t bother me again…”

“How did this even happen?”

“We don’t know yet,” Woojin said, wrapping his arm around Minho’s shoulders. “They’re going to try and get his reasoning out of him.”

“How long do we have to wait-?”

“Can we please go home?” Minho asked the situation finally setting in. He was shaking, no matter how safe he felt with Jisung hold his hand and Woojin holding his body. Tears splashed down his cheeks and he couldn’t see anything.

“Not until we get to the bottom of thi-”

“PLEASE?” Minho sobbed, his knees giving out. “Please! I just wanna go home!”

“It’s okay hyung,” Jisung kneeled next to Minho, holding the elder’s face in his hands. “You’re safe-”

“J-Jisung please…” Minho whimpered and Jisung realized.

“Oh god… I’m okay hyung,” He whispered. The words seemed to break the spell on Minho, who collapsed into Jisung’s arms. “I’m okay. We’re going to go home and take a nap, okay?”

“Jisung I don’t know-”

“Let me take him home? Please?” Jisung asked, turning to his manager. The man hesitated before relenting.

“We’ll drop him off at his apartment.” He said, sighing.

“I’m staying with him.” Jisung’s tone left no room for argument.

“I’d prefer you being at the dorm.”

“I’ll stay with the,” Chan said, looking back to Woojin. “If that’s okay.”

“You’re always welcome.” Woojin smiled softly, and Chan couldn’t help but return it. Their manager sighed again, crossing his arms.

“Fine, if Chan is going too, you can stay with them,” He said with a slight frown. “But you two are staying in the dorm.”

“That’s fine by us.” Changbin said, pulling Felix close by the waist with a smirk.

“Kids…” the manager groaned, running his hand down his face. “Can’t keep it in their pants for ten minutes…”

“Come on hyung, let’s go home.” Jisung whispered, his voice getting through to Minho, who seemed frozen on the ground. He was still shaking, but his tears had slowed. He sniffled sadly and stood, letting Jisung pull him through the police station.

Minho barely remembered the ride home. All he knew was feeling safe as soon as he set foot in the familiar apartment. He let Jisung pull him around like a lost puppy.

Jisung brought Minho to his room and carefully helped the elder get changed. He pulled his shirt off over his head, careful not to catch his earrings on the fabric. Minho let Jisung move him like a doll, and it was starting to frighten the younger. Jisung found the hoodie that he loved on the floor and tugged it on over Minho’s head. It was the one he always joked about stealing - to which Minho would pretend to be scandalized but purposely leave it behind for him. Jisung loved wearing it, but always made sure to bring it back when it stopped smelling like the elder.

“Hyung, you need to help me with your pants.” Jisung said softly, unbuttoning Minho’s jeans. Jisung’s voice broke Minho’s trance a little, and he shimmied out of his jeans before putting on the soft sleep pants.

“Thank you Jisunggie,” Minho said softly, pulling his boyfriend in close. “You really are my everything.”

“I’d do anything for you,” Jisung smiled softly and tilted his head up to place a gentle kiss to the corner of Minho’s mouth. “Let’s take a nap, yeah? We can talk about what happened after.”

“A nap sounds… perfect.” Minho breathed, tugging Jisung onto the mattress next to him.

“I love you hyung.” Jisung curled into Minho’s chest.

“I love you so much more than you could ever know.” Minho said, the words coming straight from his core. He loved Jisung so much it caused him physical pain, but it was a good kind of pain. The kind of pain that reminded him he was alive. Jisung reminded him he was alive.

Jisung really was his everything, and Minho was more than okay with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, this is unedited because I'm sleepy. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the pacing of this chapter so I lowkey didn't want to read it over whoops
> 
> Secondly, the next chapter is (Most likely) going to be the last chapter (unless I split the last chapter into two depending on how much I end up writing) which means you can expect lots of fluff and the comfort aspect of hurt/comfort.
> 
> EDIT: Guess who finally fuckin edited this chapter instead of writing the last one *Star eyes* it was me!


	11. Chapter 11

“Should we check on them?” Chris asked, not wanting to get up. Woojin glanced towards Minho’s room, where the other two had disappeared hours ago. He adjusted his arm a little, his fingers going numb from Chris laying on it.

“They’re probably asleep,” Woojin said, tugging the blanket back onto Chris’ shoulder more. “Minho has this amazing talent of being able to take a nap and be fine when he wakes up.”

“I just can’t believe everything that’s happened…” Chris sighed, letting himself get lost in the feeling of Woojin playing with his hand. It was nice, being close to someone after so many years of throwing himself into his work.

“I can’t believe I got to see you again,” Woojin muttered, kissing along Chris’ jaw. He stopped right at the corner of Chris’ mouth, letting his breath fan against the other’s lips hesitantly. “It’s been weeks, and it still feels like a dream to me. Like I’m going to wake up and you’re going to be… gone again.”

“It’s not dream,” Chris hummed, closing the short distance between them and kissing Woojin gently. He closed his eyes, still not fully understanding that after all these years, Woojin was there. Woojin was there and was kissing him! “But if it is, I hope I never wake up.”

“Cheesy.” Woojin grinned against Chris’ lips, letting his arms wrap around Chris’ waist and carefully pulled the rapper so he was lying on Woojin’s chest.

“You love it.” Chris wrinkled his nose and smiled, setting into the new position. He was able to feel Woojin’s heartbeat and feel his warmth, and it almost made him tear up. He couldn’t believe how utterly happy he was in that moment.

“You’re right,” Woojin breathed, resting his lips on the skin where Chris’ shoulder met his neck. The contact sent a shiver up Chris’ body. “I do love you.”

“I didn’t-” Chris pulled back some, confused, before he realized what Woojin had said. The elder had confessed his love before, on the first day they talked, but this was different. This was… intimate, and real. Woojin looked Chris in the eyes and whispered again.

“I love you Chris,” He said, never breaking eye contact. “I always have. I’ve always wanted to kiss you, and hold you, and call you mine… no matter what happened, my love for you was never going to change.”

“I love you too,” Chris said, laughing as a tear fell down his cheek. Woojin instantly wiped it away, drawing another laugh from the younger. “God, I’ve wanted to say that for years.”

“I love you,” Woojin said, grinning. He kissed Chris on the cheek. “I love you so much,” A kiss on the nose. “I love you,” A kiss on the forehead. “I love you Chris.”

“Kiss me properly, please.” Chris smiled and blushed hotter than he thought possible. Woojin stared at him as if he was the most beautiful thing in the world - and to Woojin, he really was. Woojin smiled wide and laughed before swooping in and capturing Chris’ mouth again, letting his lips convey all the ‘I love you’s he wanted to say.

Chris sighed into the kiss, melting at Woojin’s tough. The elder toyed with the hem of Chris’ shirt, just wanting to feel Chris’ skin against his fingertips. Chris was so soft and warm and better than anything Woojin could have possibly dreamed of. Despite Chris stradling Woojin on the couch, their embrace was innocent. Chris leaned back and beamed at Woojin, who was blushing and out of breath.

“Wow.” Chris giggled and leaned down, resting his face in the crook of Woojin’s neck. Chris’ one word was enough to describe every emotion that was running through the elder. He ran his hand through Chris’ hair, feeling his heart flutter as the younger started to relax in his arms. Woojin could feel the moment Chris fell asleep, his body going limp as the elder continued to card his fingers through the dyed blonde strands.

“Let’s go to bed.” Woojin whispered, kissing Chris’ forehead. The younger didn’t stir as Woojin carried him close to his chest into the bedroom, or as he was placed gently on the covers as if he was the most delicate thing Woojin had ever held.

Woojin slipped into the bed next to Chris but didn’t close his eyes. He watched how Chris’ chest moved with his breathing, how Chris’ mouth opened a little in his sleep, how Chris’ eyelashes touched his cheeks. Watched Chris being beautiful, as he always was.

Soon, Woojin’s eyes grew heavy and he sighed, knowing he was about to fall asleep. He pulled Chris in close, smiling as the blonde snuggled in closer to his chest. Woojin drifted off with Chris’ breath warming his neck and a smile on his lips.

* * *

  
“Morning hyung.” Jisung said, rubbing his eyes. He had been sleeping fairly well, but feeling Minho shifting next to him told the younger it was time to wake up.

“Morning Sunggie.” Minho said, smiling warmly at the younger.

“What’s that face for?” Jisung pouted, running a hand through his bangs. He knew they were sticking up in every direction, seeing how he rolled around a lot in his sleep.

“Hmm, I’m just lucky.” Minho propped his head up with his arm and smiled wider as he watched Jisung rub his eyes again.

“Why are you lucky?” The younger asked, his voice rough from sleep, making Minho’s smile soften.

“Because I got to wake up next to you.” He chuckled at the blush making an appearance on the younger’s cheeks. Jisung whined and tried to hide his face, but Minho couldn’t bear to have his face hidden. He sprung up and pinned Jisung’s arms above his head, making it so the younger couldn’t shy away from him.

“Hyung…” Jisung whined, blushing redder and turning his face away.

“What’s wrong?” Minho smirked and slung his leg over Jisung’s hips, so that he was straddling him comfortably.

“My breath stinks…” He muttered, scowling into the sheets. Minho used one hand to hold Jisung’s wrists in place and used the other to turn the younger’s head. He leaned down and connected their mouths, not stopping even when his smile threatened their kiss.

“You’re so cute when you first wake up.” Minho said as he pulled away, sitting back on Jisung’s thighs.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” Jisung groaned, trying to tame the fire across his face. “What time is it?”

“Um, almost noon.” Minho answered, checking his phone. He saw a few notifications, mostly messages from the Catfish group chat, asking what had happened at the police station, as well as a missed call from an unknown number. He locked his phone, deciding to check the voicemail in a little while. Right then, he wanted to spend a lazy morning - or rather, afternoon - with his boyfriend.

“Chan hyung hasn’t tried to wake us up yet?” Jisung asked, sitting up and toppling Minho onto the mattress.

“I heard them moving around but I think they let us sleep in,” Minho said, rolling onto his back and letting his head bump Jisung’s thigh.

Jisung smiled down at him and started petting his head, letting his fingers run through Minho’s hair. Minho closed his eyes and smiled at the feeling, deciding he quite liked it when Jisung played with his hair like that. They sat in silence, just being comfortable in each other’s presence. They didn’t have anywhere to go, or any reason to rush, so they took their time. They took the time to memorize every sensation of the moment. The feeling of the soft sheets against bare skin, the feeling of the warm sun filtering through the window. The feeling of home that settled over them, just from being close to each other.

It was Minho’s stomach growling that broke the spell. Jisung couldn’t help but giggle as the elder groaned and rolled over again.

“Let’s get some breakfast.” He said, knowing fully well that it was past lunch time already. Minho took a moment to grieve the end of their perfect morning and sat up. He could feel his hair sticking up, and by the way Jisung was giggling at him, he figured it must have been pretty bad.

He grabbed his phone in one hand and Jisung’s hand in his other as they made their way out to the living room.

“Morning.” Woojin called as they walked out. He and Chan were curled up on the couch, watching some anime that Minho vaguely recognized.

“Morning hyungs.” Jisung smiled, his eyes drifting towards the screen. Minho smiled at how instantly intrigued Jisung was by the show, and whispered for him to go sit while he made breakfast.

By the time he settled on the couch between Woojin and Jisung, who was sitting next to Chan, they were already on the next episode. Minho handed Jisung his bowl and settled into the couch, digging in as they listened to the opening song. Jisung leaned into Minho’s side, as Chan found Woojin’s hand over the back of the couch.

It was almost an hour later that Minho remembered the voicemail waiting for him. Pulling out his phone, he brought it up and listened to it. His heart instantly stopped.

“Minho hyung what’s wrong?” Jisung asked, immediately noticing the change in his boyfriend’s mood.

“That was Officer Park,” He said, locking his phone and letting his hand fall onto his lap limply. “He got the confession… he wants me to come in and watch it… and decide if I want to press charges.”

* * *

  
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jisung asked again. He was nervous, despite the fact that Minho seemed to be taking everything well. His boyfriend smiled at him and gave his hand a squeeze.

“No matter what we hear in there,” He said as they walked into the police station once again. “He’s gone. He won’t be able to hurt either of us.”

“That’s true but…” Jisung trailed off, unable to voice why he was so nervous.

“It’s going to be hard,” Minho admitted, bowing to an officer to led them to one of the offices. Chan and Woojin followed close behind, the elder couple keeping a keen eye out for anything that might be trouble. “But I have you, and nothing bad can happen to me when I’m with you.”

“Hyung…” Jisung felt his throat sting, but before either of them could say anything else, Officer Park opened the door.

“Minho, I’m glad you were able to come in,” he said with a small smile. “We know it was quick, and we’re grateful you were even able to make it over today.”

“Thank you for helping us with this.” Minho said as he sat. Jisung sat next to him, taking the elder’s hand as soon as he could. Woojin and Chan stood behind them, Woojin placing a comforting hand on Minho’s shoulder.

“We were able to get him to confess pretty easily,” The man said, opening a laptop and bringing up a video. “It was a little surprising honestly.”

“Maybe he realized how wrong he was?” Chan said, but he didn’t really sound like he believed it himself.

“Well, we have a recording of the confession,” Officer Park continued, turning the laptop around so the boys could see it. Minho felt his face pale just at the sight of the man on the screen, even though he knew it was just a recording. “You can watch it and decide if you want to press charges.”

“What’ll happen if he does?” Woojin asks carefully.

“Well, we have the evidence needed. If he did, it would just be another layer against him in court.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Well, he’s still going to jail for assaulting Kwon Soonyoung and the emotional trauma he caused Lee Minho during their past relationship. If you don’t want to press charges, you won’t have to see him anytime soon, but he might be released from prison sooner than if you did. You can always get a restraining order as well, but that doesn’t always solve anything.”

“I’ll… decide after.” Minho said with uncertainty. On one hand, he wanted that bastard to get everything coming to him. On the other, the idea of having to see him - possibly multiple times - in court made his blood run cold.

“Do you know why you’re here?” A voice off camera asked.

“Yes.” He said tensely, not looking up from his cuffed hands.

“Can you clearly state your reasons for being here?”

“I attacked some kid, and fucked over my ex boyfriend.” he grunted, looking irritated.

“Why did you attack Kwon Soonyoung?”

“Because I thought it was going to be Minho.”

“Why were you trying to attack Minho?”

“Because… because he makes me angry.”

“Why does he make you angry?”

“Because! Because he used to be so- so quiet and he’d do whatever I said. It took me weeks to train him to be like that, and then his stupid fucking roommate had to step in and…. And give him confidence? He just fucking left me! He thought he had a choice!”

“Do you believe that you owned him?”

“Of course I did,” he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “He needed me. I made sure of it.”

“How did you make sure he needed you?”

“I trained him to need me. I tore him down and made sure he couldn’t fight back. I made him pretty and docile so he’d do whatever I wanted.”

“What happened after you two broke up?”

“I moved. I was just so… angry all the time. I went back home and trained to become a cop cuz my parents thought it would be a good discipline for me or something. I got stationed here and I told myself I would get back what was mine.”

“Did you ever use physical violence with Minho while you were in a relationship?”

“Of course, but not enough to leave a mark.” He said easily. Woojin gasped and tightened his hold on Minho’s shoulder. Minho looked away, tears falling from his eyes. That was the one thing he never told his roommate.

“You seem to say that very casually,” The voice commented, causing him to smirk. “How would you be physical with Minho?”

“Smack him around when he wasn’t listening, being rough when I fucked him to teach him a lesson. That sort of thing.”

“And you never thought that maybe that wasn’t… good?”

“Why? Should I have? I was stronger than him. The strong prey on the weak. That’s how it’s always worked.”

“Let’s go back to the attack,” The voice sounded slightly uncomfortable. “Why did you try to attack Minho?”

“I wanted to put him back in his place. He just needs a few good hits and he’ll be good for me again.”

“How did you know Minho was going to be there?”

“I was just cutting through the alley after work. I didn’t know he was going to be there, I just knew a big concert was going on. I overheard those pretty boys mention Minho’s name and I just… I got mad. He’s mine. No one was allowed to talk about what’s mine so casually. I waited and when the next person came out I thought it was him. I don’t know why… that kid looked nothing like Minho. Someone tackled me and I ran.”

“What will you do if Minho presses charges against you?”

“He won’t,” He said with such certainty it make Minho’s blood boil. “He’ll be too afraid to face me again. He knows I’m mad at him. He knows what happens when I’m mad.”

“Is there anything else you want to confess to while we’re here?”

“What else do you want me to say?” He asked, leaning forward dangerously. Even though he was cuffed, Minho felt a flare of fear for the person in the room with him. “I played along with your little interrogation. Are we finished or what?”

“We’re finished.” The person said, and the recording cut off, leaving the room in silence. The ticking of the clock was the only thing that could be heard, not that Minho could actually hear anything over the pounding of his own heart.

He knew his ex was messed up. He knew his ex did bad things to him, but hearing him say it so casually… Minho was floored. He knew his ex hurt him, but to know he purposely tried to train him to be submissive and dependant on him…

“You never told me he hit you.” Woojin said, sounding choked. Minho finched.

“It was never bad,” He whispered. Why was he defending that monster? “He just… smacked me a little if I did something wrong.”

“Minho…” Woojin didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t mad at Minho - how could be possibly be mad at Minho? - but he was furious that his friend had to endure something like that without him even knowing.

“You don’t have to decide now,” officer Park said as he closed the laptop. “But we do need your answer soon. Preferably by the end of the week?”

“Ah, yeah… I’ll have an answer by then…” Minho trailed off, trying to keep his voice steady. As scary as it was, seeing his ex talking about him like he was a toy, Minho knew that man wasn’t going to be able to get near him for a very, very long time. That knowledge comforted him some, though the feeling of Jisung’s hand holding his comforted him twice as much.

“Wanna head home?” Jisung asked, looking at Minho with those large eyes the elder was so in love with. Hearing Jisung refer to the apartment as home made Minho’s chest flutter a little.

“Yeah, that sounds nice.” Minho smiled and some of the tension in his shoulders left. Woojin watched Minho walk with Jisung, noticing the younger boy had been able to comfort his friend better than he ever could. The realization stung a little, but he couldn’t help but be happy for Minho.

He had found his Chris, and Woojin had found his Jisung.

* * *

  
“Are they still out?” Jisung asked, tearing his eyes away from the movie they were watching.

“They were going to get dinner after the movie,” Minho said, his attention still glued to the television. “Said they wouldn’t be back till late. Woojin hyung said something about maybe spending the night at the dorm if they were out too late so they didn’t bother us.”

“Bother us…sure hyung.” Jisung snickered, leaning into Minho’s side and letting his hand rest on Minho’s upper thigh. Minho tensed but quickly let himself relax.

“Wonder what we could do, now that the apartment is going to be empty all night long…” Minho lamented, letting the hand that was wrapped around Jisung’s waist trail down and cup the younger’s ass.

“Why don’t we find out?” Jisung smirked and Minho was on his feet in an instant, not bothering to pause the movie before dragging his boyfriend into the bedroom.

Minho didn’t know why he was nervous. He and Jisung had been dating for almost five months at that point. They had done other things together - a lot of other things that just barely stopped before going all the way. He had seen Jisung naked, and Jisung had seen him the same way. They showered together often, and touched each other just as much.

So why was Minho suddenly so nervous?

“It’s okay hyung,” Jisung said, kissing him softly.Minho leaned into the kiss, knowing Jisung would make him feel better. “You’re okay now. You’re with me.”

“God I love you.” Minho whispered as he kissed along Jisung’s throat. Their clothes were quickly taken care of, and Minho couldn’t help but stare. Jisung was the single most beautiful person Minho had ever had the honor of laying his eyes on. The way his skin flushed, the way he reacted to the smallest of touches, the way he was so willing to let Minho do anything he wanted.

The nervousness struck Minho again. What if he was making a mistake? What if Jisung realized that the elder was too broken to love, and left him? What is Minho did something wrong and hurt Jisung? What if Jisung hurt him-

His thoughts were cut off when Jisung took control of the situation. Jisung guided Minho, rather than Minho guiding Jisung. Minho had thought that when he finally made love to Jisung, he was going to want to be in control.

He never had control in bed before, and he thought if he had at least some control with Jisung, he wouldn’t be afraid. He didn’t realize putting all his trust into Jisung was what he needed to feel safe.

Jisung kissed him slowly, savoring the feeling of Minho’s lips against his, as if he was a starving man and Minho was a feast fit for the gods. Minho realized he wasn’t afraid anymore. The sheets were soft against his bare skin, as was Jisung - with his gentle touches and careful movements. Sweat dripped down Minho’s back, but it wasn’t from fear this time. It was from the heat of the room, and how hot his heart was burning.

Minho thought his heart was going to burst out of his chest. He fell next to Jisung, feeling exhausted but content. Jisung smiled at him, his cheeks flushed and his bangs sticking to his forehead. Jisung giggled and leaned in to kiss Minho softly.

“I love you Minho,” Jisung whispered, the way he said Minho’s name sent sparks through the elder’s body. “Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Minho asked, smiling at the younger who looked concerned. Jisung propped himself up on his elbow and brushed his thumb across Minho’s cheek.

“Because you’re crying.” Jisung sounded close to tears himself.

“I’m just…” Minho sniffled and turned his face to kiss the palm of Jisung’s hand. “I’m just really, really happy.”

“I’ll always be here to take care of you,” Jisung promised, kissing Minho again - this time a little harder. “You never have to be scared again.”

“God, I wish there was something I could say to show just how much I love you,” Minho breathed as Jisung pulled away. “Because just saying I love you doesn’t feel like it’s enough. I love you so much it hurts.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Jisung smiled, and it was as though Minho was seeing the sun for the first time. “You show me how much you love me every day.”

“I want to do more though,” He kissed along Jisung’s shoulder, savoring how soft the younger’s skin was against his lips. “I want to give you the world.”

“You are my world.”

“And you’re mine.” Minho made his way to Jisung’s mouth and kissed him deeply, feeling something stir in his stomach again, even though they had just finished.

“Hyung, we have dance practice in the morning.” Jisung warned, not sounding that convincing.

After Soonyoung was put in time out for his ankle, Minho filled in for the tour. He was able to grasp the choreography quickly, and it gave him an excuse to follow his boyfriend around during the two months they were going show to show. Once Soonyoung healed, they decided to keep Minho on the team. One more dancer was never a bad thing. As for Minho’s ex, he decided not to press charges, and even then the man was facing up to twenty years in prison. Jisung made sure to tell Minho how proud he was of the elder for making that decision.

“I have dance practice in the morning,” Minho clarified with a laugh. “You have that recording thing with Chan hyung, who’s also out late.”

“You’re such a bad influence.” Jisung smirked as he moved to kiss down Minho’s throat. Minho let his head fall back and his eyes close, focusing on the feeling of Jisung’s lips against his neck.

“If you don’t want to, we can shower and go to bed-”

“I never said that,” Jisung said quickly, causing Minho to laugh again. “I’m ready when you are.”

“I love you.” Minho said, sitting up and pressing their foreheads together. Jisung grinned, his eyes turning up as he rubbed his nose against Minho’s.

“I love you more.” he said, moving in to kiss Minho.

Needless to say, neither made it to practice the next morning. Not that anyone was surprised. No one mentioned it when they stumbled in hours later, barely hidden love bites littering their chests, but if the two noticed the money being passed around the practice room, they didn’t say anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I say this about all my fics, but I'm really sad to see this one end. It was a change from what I normally write - much softer and cuter. I normally focus on the emotional trauma of things rather than portraying cute relationships but this...this made me feel good? It made me all soft and warm to write? Maybe I'll try more fluff in the future... all I know is the next fic is NOT going to be this soft.  
> I hope the final scene was written well. I tried to keep the actions vague while keeping the emotions strong. On another note, I feel kinda bad that the other members weren't that big in this fic. I tried to include them, but it just ended up being this way? I feel a little better knowing I've written for the other members already but still. I like to include everyone when I can. 
> 
> Thank you everyone who read and supported this fic! Seeing everyone's comments and talking to you guys really makes my day so much better. Speaking of talking to you guys, if you ever want to chat my twitter is @25boyfriends~ I love making friends and you can see my crying over my idols at all hours of the day!

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came to me suddenly when my sister was like "wouldn't it be funny to be at a concert and see your bias on your tinder?" And I went "Yes... yes it would be..."
> 
> Anyway, this is just going to be a short, fun fic. It's going to be a little angsty, but more in a 'this is past trauma that he's working through' rather than 'this is current trauma that he has to survive' so that's a little better? Maybe? 
> 
> Keep an eye out, because I have a bunch of really cool fic ideas coming towards you soon! I'm trying to keep up with my one chapter a day schedule, just to give myself some structure. I don't know how long it'll last, but as of now it's been going pretty strong!


End file.
